Shara McCallum has published two books of poems: Song of Thieves (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003) and The Water Between Us (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1999, winner of the 1998 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize). Her poems appear in literary journals in the US and abroad, have been reprinted in over twenty anthologies of American, African American, Caribbean, and World poetry, and have been translated into Spanish and Romanian. Originally from Jamaica, she directs the Stadler Center and teaches creative writing and literature at Bucknell University. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.

Miss Sally on Love

In my time, I was a girl who like to spree.
The whole world would open for me

if I shift mi hips to strain
the fabric of mi skirt just so.

Still, I did learn mi lesson
where love concern: if snake bite you,

when you see even lizard, crawling
with him belly pon ground, you run.

Now the gal come to me, say she fall in love
with man who have a plan for change.

But she no notice him also carry gun?
And lawd how she nuh see

who running the show and who
keeping house same way?