Sunday, December 3, 2023 “I Stand, Quietly” by Perry S. Nicholas
you crossing the footbridge
in the old park where almost no one
dares walk alone anymore.
Life on the outskirts is dark,
we fear walking on our own—
defenseless, unsure of purpose.
To love, lust, or just to be?
I stand, softly, whisper words
only swaying trees share,
birds pass over—squirrels trample
my simple outlook now.
In this moment, standing quietly,
detecting how the world’s breath
labors to return to full blown,
I pray I can keep my balance.
I no longer question if I’ve found my focus.
I just choose not to follow you further.
A different world—the park seems smaller now.
I stand quietly, and quietly, I stand out.
About the Poet
Perry S. Nicholas is a professor emeritus of English at SUNY Erie Community College North, where he was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award and the President’s Outstanding Teacher Award.
He has published one textbook of poetry prompts, three full-length and seven chapbooks of original poetry, along with two CDs of poetry. His most recent full-length collection of poems is As a Man in the Moon (The Writer’s Den Books, 2021). This poem appears in his new chapbook The Unveiling published this month by Finishing Line Press.
Nicholas has hosted and coordinated poetry readings at six venues over the years in the Western New York area, and has read his work in Woodstock, Kingston, Albany, New York City, Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Athens, Greece. You can follow his work at perrynicholas.com.
Related Event
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- On December 6th at 7:30 p.m., Perry S. Nichols will join poet Jane Sadowsky in a Literary Café Series reading at The Center for Inquiry, 1310 Sweet Home Rd. in Amherst NY. The reading is free and open to the public. The CFI Literary Café Series is curated by poet Ryki Zuckerman.
The Poem of the Week feature is curated by literary legacy awardee R.D. Pohl.