Four Short Poems by Four Poets
Longing
Ever since you touched my wrist, the world is a room full
of apples.
- Kate Angus
Two Men in a Bathroom
When the son must
shave the father
since the old man's hand
began to shake too much
to draw the straight razor
smoothly through the lather
on his cancerous jaw
his hand trembles too.
Oh! they both cry out.
- Ruth Holzer
Keys
Near dawn
in a strange part of town
I lock myself out of my car.
Through the window I see
my keys in the ignition,
my phone on the seat,
and, on the floor,
a note from a woman:
What has happened?
I feel a terrible distance between us.
- Andrew Merton
The Last Joyful Mystery
I'm brushing the windshield clear
of rare Tennessee snow. A neighbor
trudges toward me, a basket on his arm.
I hope he's bringing something
Southern and homemade biscuits,
cornbread, Christmas jam.
Perhaps a hand to clean
the car. He asks me,
Would you like a rosary?
- Mary Anne Reese
The poems are from Bigger Than They Appear: Anthology of Very Short Poems, edited by Katerina Stoykova-Klemer, newly released by Accents Publishing.
Longing
Ever since you touched my wrist, the world is a room full
of apples.
- Kate Angus
Two Men in a Bathroom
When the son must
shave the father
since the old man's hand
began to shake too much
to draw the straight razor
smoothly through the lather
on his cancerous jaw
his hand trembles too.
Oh! they both cry out.
- Ruth Holzer
Keys
Near dawn
in a strange part of town
I lock myself out of my car.
Through the window I see
my keys in the ignition,
my phone on the seat,
and, on the floor,
a note from a woman:
What has happened?
I feel a terrible distance between us.
- Andrew Merton
The Last Joyful Mystery
I'm brushing the windshield clear
of rare Tennessee snow. A neighbor
trudges toward me, a basket on his arm.
I hope he's bringing something
Southern and homemade biscuits,
cornbread, Christmas jam.
Perhaps a hand to clean
the car. He asks me,
Would you like a rosary?
- Mary Anne Reese
The poems are from Bigger Than They Appear: Anthology of Very Short Poems, edited by Katerina Stoykova-Klemer, newly released by Accents Publishing.