SPACE

(Mistakenly untethered at the of rear

of the craft, she leaned away to view the earth.)

 

The slightest turn.         

 

An unintended push         

 

and

 

                suddenly              you are                        out of touch          

 

    out                     of                           reach       

                                                    rolling                    

 

            slowly

 

 in a muffled crackling of 

 

radio static 

 

and a depth of night

 

                                        you could   

 

never understand

 

   tumbling

           

             through the frigid                brief                 remainder 

 

of your life.    

 

          Ahead                

     behind 

                                                                                             

above     

 

below  

              

              on every side      

                                   

 

 for all of space                  all of time                     all existence      

 

          nothing   

        

                       nothing 

 

but at most a thousand breaths        

                                                                and the slow   

       

                                                   rotating

                                                                  

cold

                  

                                of black sparkling.

 

 

Ray DiZazzo has published poetry, fiction, criticism, and other work in commercial and literary magazines, newspapers, and books. He is the recipient of the Percival Roberts Book Award and the Rhysling Award and is a Pushcart Prize nominee. His work has been anthologized in Contemporary Literary Criticism and other publications. In addition, he has published four books of poetry: Clovin’s Head (Red Hill Press, 1976), Songs for a Summer Fly (Kenmore Press, 1978), The Water Bulls (Granite-Collen Communications, 2009), and The Revlon Slough (2Leaf Press, 2018). His forthcoming book, Tropic, is scheduled for release in the spring of 2022.