Dan Sicoli

arrears

i understand the decades
i understand the long withdrawal
this is an apology of sorts

the arrears
were never
cast aside

            they became a chair
            that impersonated a prison

            then a meteor that
            thought it was a feather

            a nearly crippled dog
            now hiding in the shadow of starlight

***

and that chair
where you sat
where we sat in darkness listening
to monk's dissonant notes drip
on our sins

and how a dizzy sky failed
this flightless bird

and how light i felt
with you lifting me free
and everything eclipsing the earth cage

***

there was this flash as
the weathervane spun

as if your gift of grace
could soothe and smooth
a careless bout of wind

***

i remember decades
i have forgotten shoes
this is how a rumor begins

Dan Sicoli, of Niagara Falls, NY, can be found in local dives, saloons and barrelhouses banging on an old Gibson 335 with an area rock'n'roll band. In late summers, he oven-dries home-grown plum tomatoes.