Carolyn Evans Campbell
Man stares at his reflection
in his morning coffee
balances on the edge
of a sugarless death
hides behind a shy day
the wine mark of his birth
the spilled wine
of his life
fears demons swinging
on the trapeze
in his brain, sizzling
on the high wires
How is it then, he gathers
the tatters of his life
about him everyday
steps out into the morning
postures and puffs
with pebbles in his shoes
feathers in his mouth
knowing he must
build a pyramid, cut down
a casaba, bandage a friend
clear the land
launch a rocket into space
send a child to school
sing the only song he knows
knowing he must not
die today
Carolyn Campbell is a poet, teacher and artist living and working in Evergreen, Colorado. She is the author of the historical novel, Fireweed, A Woman’s Saga in Gold Rush America, which has won two national awards and was a finalist for the Willa Literary Award.