these ancient mountains
my wobbly knees
Author: Dave Bonta
I live in an Appalachian hollow in the Juniata watershed of central Pennsylvania, and spend a great deal of time walking in the woods. My books of poetry include FAILED STATE: HAIBUN, ICE MOUNTAIN: AN ELEGY, BREAKDOWN: BANJO POEMS, and ODES TO TOOLS.
praying mantis
the sacrament’s
exoskeleton
Old Man of the Woods
returning to the grove
he planted
moonlit forest
the giant
my father was
sleeping
with one eye open
it’s his vigil too
negative air
the yes/no yes/no
of his breath
insomnia moon
an old face mask
in my coat pocket
through the COVID ward’s
double-sealed doors
it’s autumn
do I stay green
in the autumn wind
katydid
trumpet of the dead
I’m listening
felled on migration
the clouds in his eyes
in the pines
my ration
of moonlight
