June 2, 2020

Perfect and Terrifying by Martin Willitts Jr.

Rustling birdcalls cross the field
creating a turbulence in the upper branches,
shaking and quaking, rattling the trees,
creating a ruckus, a few aftershocks, quiet.

What caused the stir, what settled it?

Some hidden presence must have caused this
brief transference of power,
this immeasurable flux and tranquil resolve.

Maybe it was nothing, nothing at all —
just a momentary blast of uncertainty.
But once the heart is stirred,
it takes a while to recover.

The world contains both mystery
and subterfuge.

The birdcalls ceased — the quiet
turned more deafening, light diffused,
the forest dampening
with queries as to what makes silence
perfect and terrifying.   





Martin Willitts Jr has 24 chapbooks including the Turtle Island Quarterly Editor’s Choice Award, “The Wire Fence Holding Back the World” (Flowstone Press, 2017), plus 19 full-length collections including the Blue Light Award 2019, “The Temporary World”. His recent book is "Unfolding Towards Love" (Wipf and Stock, 2020).

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