april

by Joseph Hamel

Because the night is mild 

I open the back porch door 

Again awake so late  

Walking in the misty grit 

The pavement fresh with rain 

My footsteps sound like kisses 

The clucks of teeth and lips 

Not happy, unhappy, or hungry 

A gentle deflation of purpose 

Compared to the warm, delicate breezes 

Exploring the still naked trees.

Joseph Hamel comes from Detroit, MI and attended Wayne State University His has been published in Portland review, Litspeak, Barrow St and his play DEPEW, a modern verse adaptation of Moliere's Tartuffe, was a 2019 semi-finalist for the National Playwrights Conference.