On the island of St. Croix, the local
folks have this saying, aged wisdom
to explain how users match up so well
and often with their gullible victims.

When you first approached,
I stood perfectly still, barely breathing,
my long brown arms outstretched
like hopeful branches, just waiting.

James R. Whitley’s poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and published in numerous literary journals including HEArt, Poetry Midwest, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and Xavier Review. His first poetry book, Immersion (Lotus Press, 2002), was selected by Lucille Clifton as the winner of the Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award. He is also the author of the chapbook Pietà (Pudding House Publications, 2001), which was selected as a finalist in both the Summer 2000 National Looking Glass Poetry Chapbook Competition and the Maryland State Poetry & Literary Society’s 2000 Chapbook Contest. Mr. Whitley’s newest chapbook, The Golden Web, is available in electronic and trade paperback formats from Wind River Press. Currently, Whitley lives in Boston, Massachusetts.