Untitled by Richard Hanus
Second Shift
Sarah Ellis
The words came different
in Oregon, where the rain
rambled in like the riled sky
of Sunday’s mourning.
Here, the parking lot is flooding. Seeping
into the soles of my boots.
Here I mind the water. Here I mind
myself. I came
back bracing for weak water and waiting
and still it weighs me down.
Deuteration. A chance for more time. The
church bells of a church
that is no longer mine chime
in the back of my mind.
It’s alright. I’ve grown immune to it, I’m
through with it. If not
for me then
for the water. Its shining
solemn pavement.
Sarah Ellis is a chemist and graduate of Reed College who lives and writes in Massachusetts. Her work has recently appeared in Poet Lore, #Ranger Magazine, and Oyster River Pages, among others.
Richard Hanus had four kids, but now just three. Zen and Love.