by Deepa Patil
Blumenthal VI
After Blumenthal by Ulrich Schanuss
At some point the needle will leave the dial.
That delicious weight of gravity will be lifted from you
And we are…
At some point elegies turn into odes
Or maybe it is sad songs that shake themselves off like a dog in from the rain
Noses a loved one’s leg before tiredly walking away, tail wagging before
Laying in front of a heater vent.
At some point it’s time to tell the story of your life,
But you can’t because it is always unfinished and in need of editing.
All the winters that were terrible have become glamorous;
The crippling snow falls are postcards.
The colicky baby is now grown and beautiful as she walks out the front door,
Who knows, for the last time, the second to last time, or the third,
Or just another time;
Just another in a series of warm hellos and goodbyes
Of Thanksgivings and Christmases
Each stacked up next to the last,
Marching backwards until you can’t remember them anymore.
They sit at the back of your mind like a needless dial,
Lighter than anything you have ever touched;
Sit resting next to the memory of the dog,
Waiting for a roving electron to light them up.
Marc Janssen has been writing poems since around 1980. Some people would say that was a long time but not a dinosaur. Early decrepitude has not slowed him down much; his verse can be found scattered around the world in places like Pinyon, Slant, Cirque Journal, Off the Coast and Poetry Salzburg also in his book November Reconsidered. Janssen coordinates the Salem Poetry Project- a weekly reading, the occasionally occurring Salem Poetry Festival, and was a nominee for Oregon Poet Laureate. For more information visit, marcjanssenpoet.com.
Deepa Patil is a computer science engineer by education. A fledgling artist, she can be found daydreaming on most days. Her work has appeared in Sonic Boom, Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, whiptail: journal of the single-line poem, and Prune Juice. She loves sunsets, coffee, and books. Country – India https://www.instagram.com/deepapatil9/