Of Gasping and Grasping

I saw a cross in the sky
was that Jesus Christ or pollution

I think it’s starting to tear
all the fabric of autumn has loosened

You scried the depths of the pool
came up wild-eyed with spells of reflection

It’s like the birth of a prayer
breathing, bleeding, and begging the question

This is a reprint of work originally published in Dissident Voice.

Scott Thomas Outlar lives and writes in the suburbs outside of Atlanta, Georgia. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. He guest-edited the 2019 and 2020 Western Voices editions of Setu. Selections of his poetry have been translated into Afrikaans, Albanian, Bengali, Dutch, French, Italian, Kurdish, Persian, Serbian, and Spanish. His sixth book, Of Sand and Sugar, was released in 2019. His podcast, Songs of Selah, airs weekly on 17Numa Radio and features interviews with contemporary poets, artists, musicians, and health advocates. More about Outlar’s work can be found at 17numa.com.