Smarts by Gary Glauber

Looking up from the ground
through the metallic taste
of my own blood
& a face sporting fresh bruises,
I notice the intensity of blue sky,
the odd geometry of leaves
on high branches of maples
across the way.
Empty flagpole mocks me
as do the few who remain
after this brief battle for pride,
valor now lost & encapsulated
in that stupid onlooker’s smirk.
It will take some time to recover,
& this is the only certainty.
I try hard to quell thoughts
of starting anew, running away,
changing my name.
Life doesn’t work that way;
I get up & brush off the dirt.

Gary Glauber is a poet, fiction writer, teacher, and former music journalist. His works have received multiple Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. He champions the underdog to the melodic rhythms of obscure power pop. His two collections, Small Consolations (Aldrich Press) and Worth the Candle (Five Oaks Press) are available through Amazon, as is a chapbook, Memory Marries Desire (Finishing Line Press). This past summer he read selections from his most recent collection at the 2017 NYC Poetry Festival.