April Afternoon 1
April afternoon
Gnats alight in slanting light
A graceless spring dance
I touched your hand
I didn’t know why
Old oak trees creak back
To life, leaves open, breathing like
Tall ships leaving port
From the crutch of my soul
I touched your hand, clung to it
Maybe I can live
Like spring, where everything is
New, eternally
Marc Janssen has been writing poems since around 1980. Some people would say that was a long time but not a dinosaur. Early decrepitude has not slowed him down much; his verse can be found scattered around the world in places like Pinyon, Slant, Cirque Journal, Off the Coast and Poetry Salzburg also in his book November Reconsidered. Janssen coordinates the Salem Poetry Project–a weekly reading, the occasionally occurring Salem Poetry Festival, and was a nominee for Oregon Poet Laureate. For more information visit, marcjanssenpoet.com.
