Fifteen Seconds

is all I can spare

to smell the wilted rose petals

now drying in a bowl

in the foyer

on a shelf

as I pass on my way to the door.

The petals

were swept from the bed

in the morning

after adhering

to the sweat on our bodies

last night

as we said our last goodbye.

I don’t have time

for coffee,

and I didn't want

to wake you.

-

"Fifteen Seconds" is published in the 2017 Winter Issue (#5) of Light, an independent, reader-supported, quarterly journal of fine art photography and poetry in its second year of publication. The theme of Issue 5 is "Reflection."

Eric

The Bay is Crisp

An open window lets the air in,

lets in the brackish air. It is early,

just before dawn.

Boats, still moored,

bob languidly.

And those departing

are loath to make wake,

nary a ripple.

           

Fishermen (and fisher

women too) seek out a living,

eke out a life,

dredging from the deep

to furnish a feast for someone.

The nip in the air

wakes one faster than coffee.

Profit by the pound,

but only on good days, only

if the weather behaves—

a day just like today,

we both hope and pray.

-

"The Bay is Crisp" won 3^rd place in the Ohio Poetry Day 2017 poetry contest #3, Evelyn Barker Award: “In Praise of Traditional Values,” and was published in the contest compilation chapbook, Ohio Poetry Day: Best of 2017. 

Eric

Another Bartender Love Affair

Maybe, it is simply because

            they provide all necessities of life,

smiling and calling us “honey”—

            whatever’s on tap.

Mere presence is life affirming,

            a semblance of social construct we all need

as we drink ourselves to death—

            a look in the mirror.

Tomorrow, we re-belly up,

            another round of affirmation,

a double whiskey back—

            one more . . . and the check.

-

My poem, "Another Bartender Love Affair," is included in Issue 21 (January 2017) of Shot Glass Journal, an on-line journal devoted to short poetry published by Muse-Pie Press. You should treat yourself to the jewels contained in the entire issue, but here is a direct link to my poem.

Eric