Matt Borczon writes

The other side

Take me
to the
other side
of long
days bad
haircuts
lost love
and lame
movies
take me
to the
other side
of unemployment
of crappy
college apartments
of toothaches
and migraines
of tornadoes
and tsunamis
take me
to the
other side
of winter's
cold of
writer's block
of PTSD
of depression
and outrage
please

take me
to the
other side
of everything
that happens
while we
sit on
our hands
hold our
breath and
pray like
true believers
for something
good
to happen

Matt Borczon writes

A working definition of grace

Black
crows
were
scratching
the
face
of
the
moon
that
first
night
it
removed
it's
mask

as
the
ocean
tickles
blue
whales
making
them
sing
through
tiny
throats

a
song
so
soft
it
sounds
like
waves.

Matt Borczon writes

when Friday is a day of grace

I'm looking
for a
day of
grace
a moment
of zen
the big
end of
the wishbone
a ray
of sun
breaking through
dark clouds
and hitting
me in
the face
as I
win the
lottery earn
the bonus
get her
number

when every
song on
the radio
is a
favorite
and blessings
fall
like warm
rain on
starving fields

and the
war is
just a
documentary
I watched
on TV
back when
I was
young enough
to wonder
what could
possibly
be worth
fighting over.

 

 -- Warren K. Leffler

Matt Borczon writes

 

Johnny has gone for a soldier

lukewarm
coffee as
the sun
comes up
an oldies
station
on the
car radio
and I'm
leaning in
to the
punches
to take
the sting
off singing
along with
the Beatles
and smoking
the first
light of
day through
my windshield
its 6am
and things
might not
get any
better than
this so
I take
the second
to notice
light hit
the street
as clouds
move like
a train
across the
horizon

carrying soldiers
back to
a war
that only
I can
still see.

 

 

 Dawn Road -- Christie Scheele                    Narrow Road -- Christie Scheele             

Matt Borczon writes

Leaving Egypt 

sitting at
the end
of my day
smoking my
pipe as
the sun
goes down
it is hot
enough that
even the
stars are
sweating
when a
young man
in a sleeveless
tee shirt
walks by
and says
man that
sure smells
good I
thank him
and say
my family
makes me
sit out
here to
smoke it
because
of the
smell he
stops and
says that
is right
inside it
is too
strong but
out here
it smells
like leaving
Egypt and
going into
Jerusalem
then he
walks away

I finish
my smoke
thinking
that is
exactly
what I
am looking
to do
nightly
when I
sit here.

 

 B’chukotai ["by my decrees"] --Yoram Raanan