New Poetry by Michael Keshigian

Present Comfort

 

He stands in the open doorway,

a brisk breeze caresses his face.

There is a shadow cast

from a dried maple branch

of straight lines

dyed black upon the lawn

that resembles a stick man,

an apparition that points up

as if to designate its source.

He imagines himself the outline

penciled atop the green,

where the grass is cool and moist

as it brushes his skin,

where vagrant ants

and earthworms tickle his underside

when they course beneath.

The landscape is quiet otherwise.

He is content.

Vagrant clouds, like the years,

move rapidly over him,

close enough to the sun

to threaten and momentarily

dissipate his imprint.

There is nothing he might do

to stem the inevitable,

but to distract himself

with the magic about,

for the future is black,

the present, light,

though it will yield no notice

when it dissolves him.

- Michael Keshigian 2015

Michael Keshigian’s tenth poetry collection, Beyond was released May, 2015 by Black Poppy.  He has been widely published in numerous national and international journals most recently including Poesy,The Chiron Review, California Quarterly, and has appeared as feature writer in over a dozen publications with 5 Pushcart Prize and 2 Best Of The Net nominations. (michaelkeshigian.com)