Night Life in Japan
Ernest Williamson III
Peace in the Morning
Ernest Williamson III
after Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens
Shira Judy Einhorn
1.
Loneliness sits on a
barstool
Where you once sat.
2.
Sirens at 4 a.m.
Drum a beat
Of loneliness.
3.
“I don’t know if it’s
loneliness,
Or hunger,” she said.
4.
On a packed subway car
Loneliness bursts from
headphones.
5.
The Grocer pleads
With his eyes.
You smile, turn away
And think,
It’s not enough.
6.
Loneliness rests on the wind
of a snow white morning.
7.
My pocket is full
Of coins,
Loneliness
And a Tic Tac.
8.
A conversation with your
mother
Reveals two generations of
loneliness;
5 minutes discussing the
weather.
9.
Loneliness is pretending
The view is beautiful
enough.
10.
When there are no
adjectives,
When there’s no reason,
Just say loneliness.
They’ll understand.
11.
“I’ve never seen
loneliness
like yours before.”
“Yes. Isn’t it beautiful?”
12.
A streetlight winks
loneliness
Glowing in the afternoon.
13.
Loneliness writes a poem
about
herself
On a subway car packed
With headphones
In a seat where you once
sat.