by Bryce Newton

Glassy eyes glaze, red.

Beneath a tree ever growing: green buds find breath above rooftops,

buds find breath within a bottle. Smoke realm silenced.

Chickens scratching the earth now gone.

Backlight bright in the blackened street.

Running shoes awkward trapeze, whiteout blemishes and wire-bound.

Grapes peer and fall over fence; fail full form.

Locked out in summer’s womb, Christopher will shatter glass.

Fresh sprig since grown watches a woman scream,

mouth bloated open: attempt to abyss.

Metallic thud clumsy under nature’s canopy

hand delivered.

Leaves plump with emerald adornment

shadow canopy.

Riches beneath sky.

Author statement

‘Christopher’ explores the theme of the mundane and the everyday as imperative and unconsciously integral to life, our surroundings ground us whether they are man made or naturally occurring. The poem is a collection of key images, an insight that spotlights each existing facet of one’s surroundings and identifies their beauty that can often be forgotten or dismissed because we are subjected to the sight of them everyday. It is a rediscovery of context. The title ‘Christopher’ was chosen to ground the piece and give it a main character without revealing too much about them other than what is detailed in the poem. It lends focus.