Minimalist Gossip Magazine Cover (49).pdf (13) - Flipbook - Page 15
SHADOWY BACKSTEPS
by Daniel Brown
What is the instant
a house holds its breath
between growing
and settling-- when
the supple light of streetlamps
is an aura
of indifference.
At the moment
when paint chips
without notice
and the doors become
slightly unhinged
steps rubbed dry
by scuffing shoes.
On shadowy back steps
no railing for balance
patriarchs pose proudly
with their glossy
black and white families-in various stages
of wooden disrepair.
The camera catches them
in a repose of sadness
duty or feigned casualness;
all along the street
all under the shadowed sun
halted under clouds,
hesitation of yearning.
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