Vernon Witmer Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

Touching Youth

what planet could this be for boys of ten
and then one hundred

movement felt, 
looking at the hardened grain
of hands caressed 
with fingers pressed against themselves 

absorbing stillness’ breath 
suspended in each air a pair 
of warm yet liquid-frozen thoughts 

captured 
then released with care

youthful power to devour light 
whose distance now 
becomes serene 

a slow suspended scene 
in the moment captured 

stretched like bubble gum or taffy

compressed 
into the thinness of a dime

time 
rolled between the fingers 

ridged and perfect soft 
wrapped 

as cigarettes unsmoked, 

moving miniature rolling pins
of skin like bread 
gathered sweet

and then, 

a fence to sit upon, a wall to scale
grains of surfaced roughness 
where the smooth compare 

the toughness of their skin
to skin a shin 

upon a polished youth 
with broken glass of bottles blowing

tins and rolls all gathered in
their stripes and plaids 
and paisleys worn - 

attempts to humanize 
collateralized machine

we all want out, sometimes, 

we all want in.

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