Bethany
This day’s a latticework
of mists woven by a brazen
wind, damp air shimmering
in sea-silvered gleam before
it is no longer able to bear
the weight of its transformation
and so settles back to earth
in a pool of frosted light and
flickering dust. On such a
day, one might think of
Lazarus who, after four days
entombed, spent another
thirty years adrift upon the
afflicted streets of Bethany,
still waiting on sleep, and,
with all he had witnessed,
remained unwilling to smile
or speak of his time in the
embrace of death, having
come within shouting distance
of heaven only to realize
the true cost of a life saved
was but another taken.
John Muro
A two-time nominee in 2021 for the Pushcart
Prize and, more recently, a 2022 nominee for Best of the Net, John is a
resident of Connecticut and a lover of all things chocolate. He has published
two volumes of poems: In the Lilac Hour and Pastoral
Suite in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Both books were published by
Antrim House, and both are available on Amazon. John’s poems have been featured
in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Acumen, Ariel
Chart, Barnstorm, Euphony, Moria, and Sky Island.
Instagram: @johntmuro