Robert Nordstrom Verse-Virtual 2016 July

July 2016

I am a Wisconsin poet and recently retired school bus driver who has spent the last six years teaching high schoolers how to respond when an adult says good morning and kindergarteners that it's probably best they not lick the seat in front of them. I have published poetry in various literary journals, including Upstreet, Main Street Rag, The Comstock Review, Naugatuck River Review, Verse Wisconsin and others. My book The Sacred Monotony of Breath, was recently published by Prolific Press. More information can be found at www.robertnordstrom.com.

The Space Between

The hawk understands
in its ascending arc
the weight of the earth
and the attachments she defends

but the sky presents other problems
shifting currents…directionless expanses

like the space between your breasts
or the dreamy glaze of your eyes
as we ride these currents upward
tethered to the occasional posture of desire

to rise but not arrive
to fall but never land
the restless soul reaches for
release that will not come

and so we turn
a slight turn…barely perceptible
and are embraced by
the sacred monotony of breath itself

In The Sacred Monotony of Breath (Prolific Press, 2015). Originally published in Peninsula Pulse.
©2016 Robert Nordstrom