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POETRY

A Window in Portland

poem

Vic Spandrio
The Howling Owl
Published in
1 min readJul 10, 2024

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Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash

Somewhere,
a man sings himself
to a bored Thursday crowd
with all of the grace
of a single-use razor.

A soft iron storm
billows on black water.
Above, the long neck
of industry looms,
dislocated from the shore.

One can hear:
a cough in old chinatown
a siren stutter
the wheels of a suitcase
thunder on the sidewalk.

Nearby, a drag queen sips
icy margaritas, listening
to the trumpets of Olympus
bellow from the railroad,
or was it a groan
in her barstool,
that she overheard?

Now, a brown coat
steps to the lamppost
with a folded leaf
of silver
and a straw to suck light.

Two black coffins
swoop on a trash can,
as a worm slips away
down a dark, deserted alley.

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The Howling Owl
The Howling Owl

Published in The Howling Owl

The Howling Owl is a juried publication featuring poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews. The publication is committed to quality creative work from a diverse group of writers.

Vic Spandrio
Vic Spandrio

Written by Vic Spandrio

Writer based in New South Wales, Australia.

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