My muse is slow arriving, rooted in grief
and prone to lavish – just the way a plot
of open pasture, swaddled in shadow,
silently combusts when low clouds drift
apart, ushering in a flood of mid-day light;
other times, she’ll rise in casual charm from
quiet waters before turning and spiraling back
to darkness or, more rarely still, she’ll appear
in wind-blown dispatch, like a lone, nomadic
bird that returns to its northern-most range
when all things are still nestled waist-deep
in winter. Most endearing, though, are those
moments when I’ll find her with head tipped
and mouth agape, content to gaze out upon
an open sea; take in the unearthly quiet of a
falling star; or, in half-sleep, retracing her steps
as fire-light expires and gives itself back to air.

Author Bio:

A resident of Connecticut and a lover of all things chocolate, John Muro has authored two volumes of poems — In the Lilac Hour and Pastoral Suite — in 2020 and 2022, respectively. He is also a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, as well as the Best of the Net Award, and he was a recent recipient of a 2023 Grantchester Award. John’s work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Acumen, Barnstorm, Delmarva, The Hemlock, River Heron, Sky Island and the Valparaiso Review.