"The Velvet Room" by Nicole Tallman

The Velvet Room

In fifth grade, I carried a grape
Scratch ‘n Sniff Sticker in my pants pocket 
wherever I went.

I also carried a copy of a heavy, 
faded book the school librarian
reserved especially for me.

Mrs. Woodward reminded me 
of a mouse being chased
by an owl. 

Someone said something
about her living
with another woman.

We weren’t supposed
to speak of it,
although no one ever told me that directly.

My sticker 
became my bookmark.
By winter, my book smelled like an old vineyard. 

Even now, if I close my eyes, 
the curtained room 
velvets and purples.





From FERSACE (ELJ Editions, 2023) by Nicole Tallman. Originally published in Cultural Daily (August 2023), and forthcoming in The Velvet Room (Unsolicited Press, 2027) by Nicole Tallman.

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Audio: Nicole Tallman reads “The Velvet Room”

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Nicole Tallman is a poet, writer, and editor. She serves as the Poet Laureate of Miami, poetry and interviews editor for South Florida Poetry Journal, editor and communications advisor for JackLeg Press, founder and host of A Very Gay Literary Happy Hour reading series, and an advisory board member for SWWIM (Supporting Women Writers in Miami). She is the author of five collections, including her latest, Dolce Vita/Let There Be a Little Light, and her next, The Velvet Room, is forthcoming in April 2027. She is also the founder and former editor of The Redacted Books Series, and the founder and former host of the Be Well Reading Series and the Lunchtime Poetry & Jazz Series at Miami-Dade County’s Main Library. Find her on social media @natallman.

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