I became friends with the writer of this
not as a snake in the hold
or mistress of his qualms
but as sextant to his stars
polished by his dreams
measurer of their azimuths
& nadirs, friend
to his ambivalence toward arriving
anywhere & his delight
at departing under penalty
of death for not blinking
at the glittering of lies
Djelloul Marbrook is the author of five books of fiction and three poetry books: Far from Algiers (Kent State University Press 2008, winner of the 2007 Wick Poetry Prize and 2010 International Book Award in poetry), Brushstrokes and glances (Deerbrook Editions 2010), Brash Ice (Leaky Boot Press 2014). He is a retired newspaperman whose poems have been widely published. He lives in the mid-Hudson Valley with his wife, Marilyn.
Image: “The Crypt” by ©Chuck Miller
Pine Hills Review 