Saturday, June 5, 2021

John Grey - Three Poems

 John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in Orbis, Dalhousie Review and Connecticut River Review. Latest book, “Leaves On Pages” is available through Amazon.

***

MY FALL


strange how

having freed myself of all weight

i have come back to earth


i expected

at least 

a trip to the clouds

the moon

or even the stars


but away went Sheila

off came the job

& i spat out family

like busted teeth


but i then dropped 

at twice the speed of gravity


hit the ground 

with a resounding

what next?


strange how

i picked myself up

& as far as i got

was only 5’11



***

WRITING MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY


i

was born 

in an attempt

to free myself 

from the entanglement


of an open bloody wound


to separate being

into yours & mine


trembling just enough

to inform my body parts

that i’d arrived


while clinging 

to whatever was near at hand


& doing everything I could

for the first time –


i filled birth to the brim


then spent the next sixth months

between warm expectation

& uncertainty 


taking life upon myself

while being little understood -


in case i remembered none of this

i meticulously took notes



***

NO GHOST


i don’t believe in ghosts


& even if i did

i wouldn’t believe in your ghost


as it

flits between rooms

up & down corridors

wails & moans

from afar 

& up close

the scenes you make

are never less than permanent


no wispiness

no see-through


so this is no ghost

& this is not you


what i’m seeing is not there


& even if it was

that wouldn’t justify

it being here