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Somewhere, In the Distance

By Christopher Palmer

Waiting for the bus I
Turn to face the freezing rain,
Hear the quick-low tapping on my glasses.

Gentle but sharp, not moving too quickly.
Tendrils of a distant fire hangs at eye level,
I think it’s pine.

Spring-actioned bear trap teeth:
Snap!

Returned to another winter,
Turning to face the forest, somewhere
in the distance where nothing moves.

Raindrops congregate in clay bowls.
Quick-low tapping, overflowing with
Pinewood’s sweet wine.

Who knows how old these dirt roads: patted-down
tricycle tracks, hearts carved in tree bark.

Turning to face the house I grew up in.
Homemade porch door, shaky doorknob
Un-repaired, opens into the dining room.

Knocking, entering: questions come
Quickly. Gently delivered and sharp to the touch,
Voices carry like wide wind.

Always the smell of the wood stove creeping in:
Must be pine.

Christopher Palmer is a poet and fiction writer based out of Portland, Maine, as well as  a lifelong New Englander. Their poetry focusses primary on synesthetic experiences,  pulling inspiration from the seasons, intricacies of the human senses, and their  relationships to memories.

Categories

Archive, The River

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