Cynthia Richter Brooklyn, New York

She fell in love with poetry at 12, when she joined a poetry club at school, and the love affair has endured. Verse-making has been a mental catharsis for her. Her poems have appeared in several small presses and she's a lifetime member of International Society of Poets. She's a staunch Republican, a dabbler in the stock market, and alas, a widow. Also a philatelist and numismatist. She's a nature lover. As such, she raises chameleons, catfish, mice, newts, and is an active member of Nature Conservancy. She's active in her synagogue and adores sci-fi.

My Fifer Boy My fifer boy, hanging on living room wall, You're not so tall But, how nimbly your fingers fly over your fife How expertly you blow into its holes the sounds of naivete and freedom issue forth Ecstasizing me. I adore your apple cheeks The peach fuzz on your forelip Your dark eyes dancing with your tunes. What lilting air did you play to arouse your battalion's battle fever? though humble of birth you moved my earth My fifer boy hanging on living room wall If your innermost thoughts you'd disclose My heart it would gladden.

All poems Copyright © 1996 Cynthia Richter. All rights reserved.