"L.A. Morning," by Austin Straus

Maybe it’s Ian. Maybe walking with him

to the sitter’s, a kind of

religious exercise, his singing

counterpoint to mine as we walk

wakens the gods.

The fog dances more gently

into the trees. This ripest of

moments gives birth to amazement

so pure it hurts. That the world

arranges itself so vividly before me!

That all things, trees, houses,

weeds, stones, roses,

even porched pigeons and a flat

gray sky, everything

glows! And my woman loves me

and my son adores me

and these marvels were set out for us to

stroll through and for one sweet minute

I have absolutely nothing to regret.

Austin Straus is a poet and visual artist who creates one-of-a-kind artists’ books. He has taught English, art, and philosophy and has worked for human rights with Amnesty International and other groups. With his wife, the poet Wanda Coleman, he hosted The Poetry Connexion on Pacifica Radio. “L.A. Morning” is from his collection Drunk with Light, from Red Hen Press, and is reprinted by permission. The author’s photo is by Steve Oshatz.