Suntan by Michael Keshigian

The orange-yellow face of the house

looks down upon him

like a wall of fire

as the distant solo song of a cardinal

floats above.

He closes his eyes

and a flame ignites beneath his lids.

In the dry light of the garden,

flowers sway to and fro

like small balloons in a breeze.

The stoic trees,

each engulfed by heated haze,

appear to be lost in sleep.

It is high noon

as he lays atop the grass,

daydreaming and at ease,

pretending, in this scorch of midday,

that the afterlife might be so kind.

Sunshine reddens his flesh.

Dampness from the sod beneath

penetrates his shirt.

He drifts and sweats,

knowing a night

will soon arrive

to absorb the sun’s red stain

and he will be destined

to walk the darkened path

invisibly.

Michael Keshigian, from Londonderry, NH, is the author of 14 poetry collections his latest, What To Do With Intangibles, published by Cyberwit.net. His most recent poems have appeared in Muddy River Review, Bluepepper, Smoky Quartz, San Pedro River Review, and Tipton Poetry Journal. He has been published in numerous national and international journals and has appeared as feature writer in twenty publications with 7 Pushcart Prize and 2 Best Of The Net nominations.