on time & quiet passings :: fly monarch(s), fly
by Jen Schneider
he passed
quietly / the same
day as the monarch
all wings clipped
cotton trousers tucked
grey eyes, always
gentle then shut / his
breath a whisper,
his silver hair a crown
milk pooled
on the morning paper
no pulse. no pageants.
no paparazzi / then pain
limbs weighted
lungs out of luck
as deep as the oceans
are wide / as the world
mourns / lyrics linger
elton john & freddie
mercury, both hot –
an unlikely pair
/ blackjack
for unassuming
kings & queens
in layers of love
& longing / classic
tunes tease time /
we make do,
waves pool, then
puddle
memories / singular
and shared
woven of silk threads,
culled twine,
and winged butterflies
persist
in the smallest of corners,
the deepest of waters,
& perpetual flight
if only
there was no
such thing as goodbye
– fly monarch(s) / fly
Jen Schneider is an educator who lives, writes, and works in small spaces throughout Pennsylvania. Recent works include A Collection of Recollections, Invisible Ink, On Habits & Habitats, On Always Being an Outsider, and Blindfolds, Bruises, and Breakups.
