Wrinkled hands clasping a rusted iron
Chisel as I listened to the whittling of
Oaken hours. I watched the
Pomegranate hue of the horizon fading
Into a pinkish glow, as winter’s wooden
Minutes fell into memories.
One less day of winter was stowed in
My expanding cache of dreams, which
Exist and don’t exist, reaching into the
Past, tinting the future. A wee sculptured
Wooden figure remains filled with the
Valid and the void, a trace of that which
Was... forgetting and remembering,
Both fading.
I tell myself that I must leave winter’s
Vanishing horizon, go inside and write
Poems through the rest of the night,
so the silent chips of
Memories will be remembered in ebony
Ink.
James, a retired professor and octogenarian, is a Pushcart and Best of Web nominee, and many of his poems were chosen for inclusion in The Top 100 Poems of 2016, 2015 & 2014 anthologies. He has published three full length collections of poetry, The Silent Pond (2012), Ancient Rhythms (2014), and LIGHT (2016), and over 960 poems in over 130 magazines, anthologies and poetry books. His fourth collection of poetry will be released soon. He earned his BS and MA from California State Polytechnic University, and his doctorate from BYU.
