Shift

I used to wreck
on a regular basis.
Going off the rails
was my subversive way
of keeping things
under control.
Illusions
and mirages astonished me,
still do.
Something,
anything,
to hold on to
was my gutted mantra,
hollowed out
to catch void
and the fastest air.
I am learning to chant
a new chant,
one baby verse at a time,
slowed to where language
stumbles upon the earth
in my mouth
and above my head,
where ground is rent
to meet heaven
on its own shifting terms.

 

 

 

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About John Biscello

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, writer, poet, performer, and playwright, John Biscello, has lived in the high-desert grunge-wonderland of Taos, New Mexico since 2001. He is the author of four novels, Broken Land, a Brooklyn Tale, Raking the Dust, Nocturne Variations, and No Man’s Brooklyn; a collection of stories, Freeze Tag, two poetry collections, Arclight and Moonglow on Mercy Street; and a fable, The Jackdaw and the Doll, illustrated by Izumi Yokoyama. He also adapted classic fables, which were paired with the vintage illustrations of artist, Paul Bransom, for the collection: Once Upon a Time, Classic Fables Reimagined. His produced, full-length plays include: LOBSTERS ON ICE, ADAGIO FOR STRAYS, THE BEST MEDICINE, ZEITGEIST, U.S.A., and WEREWOLVES DON’T WALTZ.
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5 Responses to Shift

  1. Sounds like a perfect change of pace

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  2. This is gorgeous, and a profound expression of something a lot of people could relate to.

    Like

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