About a Span
To Daniel, Emily and Edmund
The year of our Lord
Of the Flies. The year of Waiting
For Godot. That time when Ike
(Turner not Dwight)
launched his Rocket
Eighty-Eight, ushering in
seven decades of deca-
dance. Stalin dies. From
Coronation to Corona-nation,
what became of the
world between The Day
The Earth Stood Still
and when it self-isolated
in this season?
Was there a fall?
Chaos oozing like oil
from solid ground?
We are a torment
of ones and zeros,
money trumping reason,
tremulous tongues
and hearts all left behind,
gasping at straws.
James W. Wood's poems, articles and short stories have appeared in many literary journals and newspapers, including The TLS, The Poetry Review, The National Post (Canada), and Critical Quarterly. The author of six books of poetry and a pseudonymous thriller, he has been shortlisted or nominated for eight literary awards and was the 2018 recipient of the British Columbia Writer's Award in Canada. You can find him here: www.der-jimmelwriter.com