Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal

Staring into the Fog

After Giovanni Pascoli

I stared into the fog
and wondered what remained 
of last night and what was gone?

I strained my eyes 
and saw a small fleck of moving
birds who sang with sharp voices.

I looked high and low
and could make the outline of
trees mostly hidden. I was startled

by a barking dog.
I could sense it was close and
there were human footsteps near.

I took a quick look
down at my feet and I saw the fog
and nothing else, not even my

shoes. The fog was thick.
The trees, mostly hidden, will not
stand forever. I stared long and hard

at a shadow in
the distance. I saw a head and
in an instant it was swallowed up 

by the fog. The birds
continued their song. The dog
barked on and on. The human

footsteps were near and far.

 

Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal, born in Mexico, lives in California, and works in the mental health field in Los Angeles. His first poetry book, Raw Materials, was published by Pygmy Forest Press.