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Famous Poets
Horns of Life Poem by Seymour Shubin
Horns of Life
It was evening and the first
of the horns could be heard
In the distance
And my brother Aaron barely sixteen
Was going out with a friend
And Aaron would be driving
And I’d be left alone
At home
My parents were going out
Too
And just as he was leaving
Aaron said
Would you like to come with
And oh boy would I
And so I sat in back
Aaron driving
Irving next him.
And first we went to a movie
And then for a fairly long drive
And we stopped somewhere for hot dogs,
And I loved the sound of horns in the distance,
As though announcing the best New Years of my life
And now of my thoughts
With Aaron long dead
And all of my friends
And I think of the horns
Echoing over Aaron’s grave
I only wish
He could hear them
Oh if he could hear them
With me.
***Photo from the caves in Lascaux in southwestern France
Half Ball – Poem by Seymour Shubin
Half-Ball
We played what we used to call half-ball
Which involves cutting a regular pimple ball in half
So you couldn’t hit it too far on a city street
Or driveway
Just far enough so you could get a hit
Or even a home run
He was a gentle boy, this boy, about two years older
Than the rest of us, maybe three.
Well, he played this one game in the driveway So full of life,
so when a neighbor came to our door
The next day with word that he’d died
And no one knew why, not even the doctors,
Just went to bed and died, This kid with the same
First name as mine, which made it even worse,
But not as bad as when we’d drive past the cemetery
On our frequent trips
to New York to visit my eldest sister
And her family
And as we drove by I would think of him in there
With all those ghostly old people.
But then a couple of years later
They built a highway
That by- passed the cemetery
I was glad at first
Until I realized how much
More lonely he might be.
“How Johnson Got Out of the War” – Ascent Aspirations
In their words:
“Ascent is a literary magazine that specializes in the darker shades of short fiction, publishes poetry with an edge, and features creative photography and art, as well as essays and reviews. From Ascent you can also visit some other interesting pathways. Established since 1997.”
Ascent Aspirations has always been one of my favorite sites because of the diverse nature of their content. I was thinking that I should “get out more” with my writing. There is a feeling of legitimacy that comes from being accepted by editors that feels good this morning as I read my short story they have honored me by publishing in their latest issue. They are a respected site and I should feel honored.
The story is my first short story about a character named Johnson.
The story is rather close to my life and was hard to write. I didn’t know it was so hard. I was inspired to try by my friend, the noted author, Seymour Shubin. His imagery and sense of the inner feelings of the character intrigued me so the ol’ poet/engineer set out to try. Like I say, I didn’t know it would be so hard on my psyche.
It’s a war story that begs the question. Here is my story of war, How Johnson Got Out of the War. Does the selection itself send our best to die?
I urge you to read Ascent Aspirations the Current Issue