So many thoughts

ideals engulfed

in atmospheric showers

of rogue gases

Spending too much time

dodging snares

rotten syncopation

traps like

dominoes against the wall

Smashing my own dreams

Doubt

Shame

Anger

Pain

And maybe

the will

not to

continue

Asking

Answering

Must we always tell the truth

to ourselves, at least?

I’m lost

deep down

past the bottom of the well

in a season of drought

Breaking camouflage mirrors

as if there was something

but nothing

left to see or fight for

bigger than a mustard seed

Enough

A MUSTARD SEED

In reality

is still the perfect amount

of FAITH

I NEED

Chip Williford, the 2025–2027 Suffolk County Poet Laureate, is a poet, prose writer, filmmaker, and documentarian whose work spans community arts, cultural history, and social dialogue. Director and co‑host of Poetry Street, he has produced films including Poetry Street on the Road and Bohemia, Then and Now, and has long been active in diversity discussions, scholarship initiatives, and major production events nationwide. Williford also serves on the board of the Long Island Poetry and Literary Repository and continues to champion creativity, service, and storytelling across Long Island.