One Poem by Alec Solomita

 

Closing In On Seventy

 

Ten years old on a breezy day

in March of ’63, a boy climbing

a long slant of lawn

paused to scan the sky

 

and a sudden serenity

descended upon him,

or perhaps rose from

the moist earth. He stood

 

as still as the beech beside him

while fall’s dead leaves, released from

old snow, swirled ’round his shoes.

 

As I close in on seventy,

the child comes with me,

taking my hand as a child will.

This poem was published by Trouvaille Review in March of 2021. It's also the opening poem in Alec's new book of poetry, Hard To Be a Hero.

Alec Solomita is a writer and artist working in the Boston (USA) area. His fiction has appeared in the Southwest Review, The Mississippi Review, Southword Journal, and Peacock, among other publications. He was shortlisted by the Bridport Prize and Southword Journal. His poetry has appeared in Poetica, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Litbreak, Driftwood Press, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Galway Review, The Lake, and elsewhere, including several anthologies. His photographs and drawings can be found in Convivium, Fatal Flaw, Young Ravens Review, Tell-Tale Inklings, and other publications. He took the cover photo and designed the cover of his poetry chapbook, “Do Not Forsake Me,” which was published in 2017. His full-length poetry book, “Hard To Be a Hero,” was just released by Kelsay Books.