Exposed Brick

by Rebecca Bernard

the woman was like exposed brick—
cool to the touch and a little rough.
the outlines of her shoulders and calves formed uneven lines and ridges.

you could see where life had left marks

and indentations,
scabs and scars.
sometimes I wanted to cover her up
tell her Christ!
nobody wants to see that

to see the ugliness of old age.

and once she pushed me away,

told me it wasn't true.

she was smooth and seamless

a dulcet hum

peripatetically wandering through
a lifetime of people
like me.

Maintained or neglected, familiar or foreign, well-worn or wild, roadways inform our decisions and identities. Their geographies direct the movement
of our lives and sketch the cartography of our stories. In this spirit, 322 Review publishes provocative emerging and established artists whose fiction,
creative nonfiction, poetry, and mixed media artwork wander the paths of human experience. A nonprofit literary journal conceived
and operated by former Rowan University graduate students, 322 Review is based in Southern New Jersey.