“From the Schoolyard” by Benjamin Nardolilli

I have left this day of potential behind,
The paths were singing
But I had no need of a chorus,
At least not one with such muddy voices,
In the distance, I heard a siren too,
Coming from a mountain range
Peaks of spackled violet dusted with songs,
No simple order, no direction,
I ignored the formations’ tune
Because I wanted chains and bindings,
I wanted a pull and push
To stop my fall and spinning mind,
Voices giving me points to vector across,
When this day could not provide
Nothing but a set of bare coordinates,
I left it behind with bottles for it to clean up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Nardolilli currently lives in Arlington, Virginia. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Red Fez, Danse Macabre, The 22 Magazine, Quail Bell Magazine, Elimae, fwriction, THEMA, Pear Noir, The Minetta Review, and Yes Poetry. He has a chapbook, Common Symptoms of an Enduring Chill Explained, published by Folded Word Press. He blogs at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com and is looking to publish his first novel.