Poet’s Dilemma – Poetry by David Eugene Partch

there,
where granite rocks in the river
gently break its flow.
you can tell they’re there
by the turbulence –
the series of bumps and dips
frothing excitedly.
and excitedly
i want to give them all a name,
each and every one
its own name.
but the water laughs
and races on –
splashing in my face
for spite…

and with its own language
the river cycles on –
leaving my stony words behind…

as i wipe my mouth
and bravely try to start again:

that unavoidable task
of capturing
what cannot be captured…

and, turning to my audience,
i stare into the frozen faces
with a sudden silence.

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About the Poet

David has written poems for over 50 years and self-published 11 chapbooks. Two volumes of his collected poems, The Hard and the Soft of It and The Sighting, are available on Amazon. He featured at several venues in the SF Bay Area and Mendocino County. His poems appeared in the Bay Area Poets Seasonal Review and Mendocino Arts magazine.

For the first time in nearly five years, Vita Brevis is closed for submission. Read the full story here.