Marc Janssen

Stan Getz Plays Detour Ahead

The fireplace is hushed
When The Sound plays
Beside Oscar’s chords

Through the bay window
The sun slips a finger between burnt umber clouds;
Illuminates the Riesling left in the bottle;
The dishes with their oil and vinegar sheen, a remnant of lettuce,
Reclining pattern of dark chocolate and raspberry sauce;
And softly touches the lock of brunette hair
That lies across the nude shoulder.

Marc Janssen lives in Keizer, Oregon with a wife who likes him and a cat who loathes him. Regardless of that turmoil, his poetry can be found scattered around the world in places like Penumbra, Slant, Cirque Journal, Off the Coast and The Ottawa Arts Journal. Janssen also coordinates the Salem Poetry Project, a weekly reading, the annual Salem Poetry Festival, and was a 2020 nominee for Oregon Poet Laureate.