Travis Stephens
one less
Because Tuesday
lacks the gravity
. of Monday
to arrive late
. on Tuesday
is not a crime.
Today the fog
held the vines
close at hand,
the face of the Bay
. veiled
. mysterious.
Enough to pause
the interminable
commute, pull over
and side road.
. Birds.
An unnamed brook
masking traffic,
the noise of
industry
commerce
and profit.
Who can calculate
the cost of
. one less worker?
In the maw of
the world’s
eighth economy
the public radio
recommends a series
of programs.
The brook listens &
murmurs assent.
. I am late, boss,
but not sorry.
Have we learned yet
to monetize leisure
that doesn’t smell
. of plastic,
. gasoline
or regret?
About the writer:
Travis Stephens was raised on a dairy farm. He earned a degree at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, before departing for the West Coast. A sea captain, he now resides in California. Recent credits include Stoneboat Review, Crosswinds Poetry Journal, Southword, Havik, Apeiron Review, and Pennsylvania English. Online his was a Poem of the Week for Silver Needle Press and poems have appeared in Ink & Voices, Rue Scribe, Sheila-Na-Gig, and HCE Review.
Image: Dragon of Time by Fabien Beuchet. Gouache on paper. 8.3 x 11.7 inches. 2009. By permission.
