Four Poems

by Jim Stewart

Reminders in Early July

Who wants to remember:

the stench of the dead,

smoking bushes, skeletons

festooned with body bits,

Dalí meets Bosch;

this body’s for you.

Who can forget:

our most uncivil war,

atoms and flash burns blinding a generation;

a minuteman, cocked hat askew,

plays big cop on the corner of World and Peace;

the freedom to revel in politically correct enmity.

We celebrate a history of war:

mimicry of small arms and cannon,

young eyes alight with power,

smoke and flame in the streets,

dangerous delight;

living on old glory.

Tobacco Tyranny

Nestled warm

in Mamma’s lap;

coffee smell;

light plays

with wafting gray tendrils

of burning tobacco.

In the window,

backyard green.

How that felt:

the safety,

the peace,

the quiet joy.

No wonder cigarette smoke

sometimes seems like

an old friend.

Insidious recall.

What People Tell Themselves

Amazing, isn’t it? What people tell themselves?

Like the woman down

the bar saying how cute

she was before she got fat.

I mean, yeah, you can see

that in there, under

the mask she’s donned.

My mask

is much quieter, and less

prone to honesty.

Wine and Whiskey

A grape is a fruit—

a berry, really—and

when crushed, its blood ages and

ferments to an elixir that

might bond us to the universe.

Or kill us.

With time,

complexity grows;

the timbre smooths and

comes to light.

With care, a grain will change

its spirit and become one.

Time spent alone in a quiet, oaken

dark will take off an edge

or two, while the essence abides and

anticipates friendship with many

who strive to see the universe

from an altered perspective.

Color becomes a way to watch

how the soul of it has grown.

She is wine; I am whiskey.

BIO: Jim Stewart has been published in numerous journals. His novel, Ochoco Reach (2016), and a short story collection, White Ravens: And More Stories (2018), were both published by Word Hermit Press. His short story “White Ravens” was a finalist in a Glimmer Train open fiction contest. Jim’s music has been featured in the films Pacific Vibrations and Dancing on the Edge. You can learn more at his website: jamesrichardstewart.com.