An Extended Pause 
By Craig Kirchner

The end of January will be the first month

of my last quarter of a century.

At this point I am supposed to be wise

beyond sage, full of advice and witticisms.

I’ve been on a slightly different course.

I spent decades thinking truth determined reality.

My recent realization, the wisdom I will leave you with

is that our realities are our choices of escape.

How we choose to divert from truth,

what avenue do we glide down, do we have help?

Early years the road most taken had a support group

that wanted to get as high and as far away as I did.

Middle age - work hard, play hard, fuck it.

When truth snuck in and hit buttons, there was

the drink of choice which changed year to year

but seemed to work, thought I was good at it.

Didn’t think about it much, was busy -

too many possibilities, diversions, to worry

about the true path, the tree of knowledge,

all those apples and quince seducing.

Now in this reflective twilight, I pretend

that writing adds to reality, not runs from it.

Nietzsche said that - A good writer not only speaks

his own spirit but also that of his friends.

See the conflict, where I diverge from Nietzsche?

This writer is still never happy with reality,

or I’d shut up, but truth is taking its own escape,

an extended pause, going into hiding. I may tag along.

Craig is retired and living in Jacksonville because that’s where his grandchildren are. He loves the aesthetics of writing, has a book of poetry, Roomful of Navels and has been nominated three times for Pushcart. He was recently published in Decadent Review, Chiron Review, The Main Street Rag, Hamilton Stone Review and about eight dozen others. He houses 500 books in his office and about 400 poems on a laptop. These words tend to keep him straight.