Vertigo

Kaleidoscope lodged in my right ear,
I move my head ten degrees
and feel the rocks slide
as if tumbling down
a cliff,
pebbles skipping
across the lake
in the center of my
skull.

I attempt to stand up and learn
there is no up,
only the
rocking, the ellipse,
the white noise behind the eye
socket.
The wave in the stomach
entreats me
to find my bearings,
but there are no portholes,
no horizon to serve
as a guide,
no compass at the wheel,
just a set of jacks in my head
and no ball
to start the game.

Jill Jennings, a retired teacher and journalist, is the author of three full-length poetry books: The Poetry Alarm Clock (2008); Dead Man’s Flower (2012); and Pineapple Wine: Poems of Maui (2019). Her poems have been published in in The Atlanta Review, Please See Me, Literary Journal, Oberon Poetry Magazine, Calamaro, Reach of Song (Georgia Poetry Society), Encore (The National Federation of State Poetry Societies), and Poetry of the Golden Generation (Kennesaw State University). Her work has been featured on Kinver Radio in the UK. In 2013 Jill was awarded a US Congressional Commendation for her career as an author and as a teacher of Latin and English. She received her BA in classics in 1969, followed by an MA in classics in 1975, both from the University of Georgia. Originally from Georgia, she now lives with her husband, Paul Cheng, in Fort Myers, Florida.