Mark Saba has been writing fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction for 40 years. His book publications include, most recently, Two Novellas: A Luke of All Ages / Fire and Ice, Calling the Names (poetry), and Ghost Tracks(stories about Pittsburgh, where he grew up). His work has appeared widely in literary magazines around the U.S. and abroad. Also a painter, Mark works as a medical illustrator at Yale University. Please see marksabawriter.com.
The Sweet Breath of Indifference
Rattles the window panes
on its way to my bed.
I remember its gentle force
dressed in darkness, the way it tapped
my shoulder mid-adolescence,
time travel on its back.
It came up the hill, spring scents
and winter blasts, a blanket that wrapped us
stormy summer evenings sitting
on our grandparents' porch.
Judgments came and went with the news,
professed in classrooms, barked out of relatives'
mouths. I let them dissipate
as that sweet breath of indifference
kept me on my way,
sculpting with gentle caresses
the signature of my self.
Inscription
Pulling a book off my shelf
because I'm not sure I remember it
I open the cover and find a long inscription
written by a friend. I'd forgotten
this birthday gift from youth,
the sweetness of the message
as it lifted from the page.
It spoke of loneliness, and offered
a balm of Kahlil Gibran.
Two passages, above and below her note,
call for healing. I search the pages
for my customary marks, things
to be remembered, even cherished.
But the book is empty.
Now I'm sure I never read it.
Blinders fall from my eyes;
my heart shifts into reverse.
I'm sorry, I say
to an empty room.
No comments:
Post a Comment