An autumn mist

and the stench of carnations

the humming echoes

after the bells have fallen silent,

independent of their iron,

free to drift like lazy insects

across the courtyard

coming to rest

in the bark of trees,

in the red brick walls,

in the hollow at the base of my neck

The light grows brighter

for a moment—

and for a moment

I can see her rising

in the mist

looking like a telephone ringing

in the night

that you almost answer

Then a student throws a football,

a power saw can be heard,

a gull descends upon a bit of trash

and she, and that moment, are gone.

Marc Beaudin has published three chapbooks of poetry: “When

God Was a Child,” The Lost Writings of Miscellaneous Jones,”

and “Saginaw Songs” with fellow poet Al Hellus. His first novel,

A Handful of Dust, was published in 2002. His work has been chosen

for inclusion in an anthology of contemporary American poetry

in Turkish translation to be published in Ankara, Turkey. Information

on his work can be found at:

http://healtheearth.tripod.com.