Frames of Light and Color

46Rocky Mountain Review Frames of Light and Color Two women sip steaming cafe láttes at a small table framed by a wide wedge of window light. Their conversation filters across the clear, uncluttered morning like a miasma, a familiar sad ballad. Always, one says, I try to do good, volunteer at church, community soup kitchen, but still, nothing goes right, nothing works the way it's planned. Her words echo like a second thought as I pick up a small juice bottle, gingerly loosen the gold edge of the label, peel away the oval landscape of a woman dressed in peasant skirt and blouse, one long braid down her back, reaching for pale yellow apples hung like promises from a lush, abundant orchard. This is the plan, yes, the bluest sky and rows of perfect trees hung with the gold of summer. Neidy Messer Boise State University ...