After the Separation (June, 2009)

After The Separation (June, 2009)

I can’t sleep again;
there’s no escape from this fractured place,
no space free of reminders.
Panic presses its weight on my chest,
heavy as a lead apron.

A man coughs and through
a sliver in the blind
I see his cigarette and its orange tip
fall into rainwater.

The apartment smells
of disinfectant and recent tenants.
I shed covers aside
and wander in darkness,
wary of unfamiliar walls.


Bruce Gunther

I'm a retired journalist and freelance writer who lives in Bay City, MI (USA). I am a graduate of Central Michigan University. My work has appeared in Saginaw Valley State University's "Still Life," and the "Dunes Review."