Marc Janssen
Eternity
Queue the Theremin,
This is a poem about the infinite!
If I were to stand in eternity
I’d be everywhere all at once
And every when.
Yep, that’s about it.
Lazarus In The Light
He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth."
—John 11.43
Light and fury
Slanting across the floor now, a stark contrast between. It arcs and shines and throws
itself futility further into the gulf that I occupy with the dead.
Live silhouettes
Move and merge beyond vision. There is no Cerebrus at this cave, no river, nothing but
light and blur of afternoon sun. Across the floor a line forms the demarcation between life
and here. Only the will to move my foot.
The step not taken.
I have lived and died. I see no reason to cross in the heat waves rising from the stones
outside. This is no birth, there is no mother or father. I am no child but merely a symbol
of someone else's assertion.
I can remember a night, the air so cool after the heat of day. The wind brushing
its fingers through olive branches. The smell of dusk; the wine that evening, the
figs and bread; the faces of the ones I love, sisters, wife, children. I was a
disciple, now I am the moon watching us eat and drink and breathe.
The step taken.
Shadows fall away and I am here. The air smells of cypress and pine. The sound of
sandals walking, come to me like a dance.
Marc Janssen has been writing poems since around 1980. Some people would say that was a long time but not a dinosaur. Early decrepitude has not slowed him down much; his verse can be found scattered around the world in places like Pinyon, Slant, Cirque Journal, Off the Coast and Poetry Salzburg also in his book November Reconsidered. Janssen coordinates the Salem Poetry Project- a weekly reading, the occasionally occurring Salem Poetry Festival, and was a nominee for Oregon Poet Laureate. For more information visit, marcjanssenpoet.com.
Return to January 2023 Edition
Queue the Theremin,
This is a poem about the infinite!
If I were to stand in eternity
I’d be everywhere all at once
And every when.
Yep, that’s about it.
Lazarus In The Light
He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth."
—John 11.43
Light and fury
Slanting across the floor now, a stark contrast between. It arcs and shines and throws
itself futility further into the gulf that I occupy with the dead.
Live silhouettes
Move and merge beyond vision. There is no Cerebrus at this cave, no river, nothing but
light and blur of afternoon sun. Across the floor a line forms the demarcation between life
and here. Only the will to move my foot.
The step not taken.
I have lived and died. I see no reason to cross in the heat waves rising from the stones
outside. This is no birth, there is no mother or father. I am no child but merely a symbol
of someone else's assertion.
I can remember a night, the air so cool after the heat of day. The wind brushing
its fingers through olive branches. The smell of dusk; the wine that evening, the
figs and bread; the faces of the ones I love, sisters, wife, children. I was a
disciple, now I am the moon watching us eat and drink and breathe.
The step taken.
Shadows fall away and I am here. The air smells of cypress and pine. The sound of
sandals walking, come to me like a dance.
Marc Janssen has been writing poems since around 1980. Some people would say that was a long time but not a dinosaur. Early decrepitude has not slowed him down much; his verse can be found scattered around the world in places like Pinyon, Slant, Cirque Journal, Off the Coast and Poetry Salzburg also in his book November Reconsidered. Janssen coordinates the Salem Poetry Project- a weekly reading, the occasionally occurring Salem Poetry Festival, and was a nominee for Oregon Poet Laureate. For more information visit, marcjanssenpoet.com.
Return to January 2023 Edition