Carolina Ends in Deep August: Poems • Empty Mirror

Crown Point -- by D. Enck — Crown Point — by D. Enck

CAROLINA ENDS IN DEEP AUGUST

Friends!, how the heat of this day has worn me
…this long eternal summer extended as if without hint
of sunset.

And the light outside forces retreat
toward concave shelters
of shadow extended
like a cool dark hand

…and shivers and chills irrupt
when the heat left over subsides,
when the fever within finally falls a degree

…and an old and fat and ruined man
fit to fry in this climate
rolls away and underneath
toward all of the moist moss
and evening dew

where night brings mercy to this cruel swamp
like the cool jazz toning from the music shack next door.

SHEEP WHO HEARD THE SHEPHERD’S CALL

A countdown sheet of steroids
difficult to loosen from the pack

Fluid lungs and wheezing hours
among the drying flowers of Fall

….sheep who heard the shepherds call
long ago
descended to the valley riffed of mountain snow
without ever looking back.

These things I know and dream
on my bed of Autumn jazz
among the distant Christmas berries
which the crows of Autumn come to glean…

Sam Silva

Sam Silva has published over 150 poems in print magazines, including Sow's Ear, The ECU Rebel, Pembroke Magazine, Samisdat, St. Andrew's Review, Charlotte Poetry Review, Main Street Rag and others. Has published at least 300 poems in online journals including Jack Magazine, Comrades, Megaera, Poetry Super Highway, physik garden, Ken again, -30-, Fairfield Review, Foliate Oak, and dozens of others. He is a frequent contributor to Empty Mirror.

His chapbooks have been published by three small presses, and his work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize seven times. Bright Spark Creative of Wilimington published his first full-length book, EATING AND DRINKING.

He now has many books and chapbooks available at lulu.comsamsilva54 and as books available at Amazon. His spoken word poetry is available at the major digital markets such as Apple iTunes. Follow him on Twitter @samsilva1954.