zafusy

Let’s begin by drawing a blue doorway. A
beach being searched by a metal detector.
Diamonds in rough gravel. A puddle of ink.
Murky water in a basin. Utility workers. A
group of longshoremen. The dusty shelves
of the earth rolled up then paper clipped. A
bareheaded man standing at the end of the
platform. Artifacts that can unfold themselves.
Words that know how to hang out to dry. A
bluff above the Hudson. A newly renovated
delicatessen. A traffic island willing to endure
any kind of weather. Bats in the belfry. Picture
postcards from Tuscany. Hair tonic. Buttered
toast. A pair of purple pant suspenders & a
crisp white shirt. Ashes from a cold fire. Light
from a warm star. No word from the answering
machine. One doorknob bravely facing the future.

Maurice Oliver

View all poems by Maurice Oliver