Pull back the raspy hook, fishing

line of withered

want, club floor

cleared of

thought.

Polish my grain, shoes, cue the piccolos.

Wipe the dross from this red,

bloody glass.

All the daubing

of pre-packaged

noise. Lower my

railing of tears,

coax them into

basins crimped with drought.

Release their determined lunacy.

Now,

find the X in the sand:

dig for love—

pierce, plunge, unroot—

there is no shortage of shovels.

We can sit on surf’s edge, compare wounds, praise

their grooves, let salt unfetter

children our fallen

worlds envy.

There is no application fee

for the radically naïve—

jungle light floods through abandoned

webs & moistened peonies, memories

of baklava & aquamarine

concrete, cathedrals capped

with Byzantine gold.

Garland this

chest with flowers. I will die—

I promise—

loving more

than anyone thought        possible.

MATT PASCA is a poet, teacher and traveler who believes in art’s ability to foster discovery, empathy and justice. He has authored two poetry collections—A Thousand Doors (2011 Pushcart nominee) and Raven Wire (2017 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist)—and serves as Assistant Poetry Editor of 2 Bridges Review. In his corner of New York, Matt curates Second Saturdays @Cyrus, a popular poetry series, and spreads his unwavering faith in critical thought and word magic to his Poetry, Mythology and Literature students at Bay Shore High School, where he has taught for 23 years and been named a New York State Teacher of Excellence.