CHICAGO VOICES: “Thought Delayed,” by Jo-Ann Ledger

having peeled back skin
and stepped inside
two in messy motion
realize
the tenuous hold
each has on the other,
as every panted breath
acknowledges
that freedom’s no longer the issue

Jo-Ann Ledger was born in England, where her passion for writing took root upon publication, in the Chapter School for Girls 1983 Yearbook, of a poem about her dog. Since then, she notes, she has moved to another country and broader topics. “Thought Delayed” initially appeared in “The Thing About Love Is…,” the first of three Polyphony Press anthologies of which Jo-Ann has been instrumental in editing.