Today is March 28th, 2026, and it is my birthday.
The street sun-lined is quiet and cold unfamiliarly. I rest in my bomber jacket waiting for
I am not twenty-one anymore and I do not drink. Do I want to visit a museum? I am
Too easy.
Feeling like the cold air is right. Like my crow’s feet dug in. I should be wise.
Have I lived too many me’s and strung out my soul? Atropos is hanging by a
Restless. Pining, but unwilling to act. I should steal something. I am far too good; I should act out. I could never! Even these thoughts hurt me.
Restless. Nothing I want but to
Move.
The younger me would do something,
Maybe too much, but something.
Is wisdom boring?
Will I fade away
Forgetting the details
Only walking
Never running again?
What do I love harder?
What passion is under the knitted blankets?
Where do I learn about Marcus Aurelius and have a heated argument with a fascist until he falls on his sword from my wit and warmth?
I tell myself if I cared more
If only I cared
But don’t I?
Isn’t the cold street
Empty only in this moment’s eyes
Which I could brighten
To see the jonquils
Peering through the mulch
Open-mouthed and beckoning?
DVD Poetry Side Quest
We’re gearing up to find a new apartment in June/July and that means purging. I started with books and didn’t really do what I’d consider a “purge,” though I got rid of more than one and that is a minor miracle. However, I did manage to actually purge DVDs.
I’m keeping some, but getting rid of all these. Various reasons. I thought of a fun game for them that’s better than shlepping them all to a store right away. If you would like to purchase one of these DVDs, I will mail it to you
AND I WILL INCLUDE a brand spanking new poem inspired by the film. Or what I remember of it.
How’s that for a weird side quest?
Intrigued? Email me your selection and your address and I’ll Venmo request you for $20 (which includes shipping).
Hugs, Eric
Robert Eric Shoemaker
Eric (he/him) is a poet, translator, and interdisciplinary artist. He is the author of the forthcoming Magical Poetics (Bloomsbury), translator of the forthcoming Saint Catherine of Siena: Prayers (One Subject Press), and author of three hybrid poetry books: Ca’Venezia (Partial Press, 2021), an artist’s book of hybrid writing and visual art; We Knew No Mortality (Acta Publications, 2018), poetry and memoir; and the poetry chapbook 30 Days Dry (Thought Collection Publishing 2015).
If you’d like to catch up on previous posts, visit “newsletter posts” from the menu on my website and enter the password: poetryismagic!
Toodles!
