Poetry by Eugene Stevenson

Perfect frame:
sun rises ahead,
over red treetops,
two kayaks in silhouette,
two heads atop two backs.

Add action:
four muted-plaid arms
in strokes, more or less
synchronous like
early rehearsals of a ballet.

Add sound:
old friends cease hushed talk,
to preserve the adagio of
small waves beneath
& amid the calls of loons.

Still photo:
paddles motionless,
ripples gentle, overlaid with
a map on GPS, followed
to Maine, over 60 years.

Eugene Stevenson, son of immigrants, father of expatriates, is author of the collection, Heart’s Code (Kelsay Books, 2024), & the chapbook, The Population of Dreams (Finishing Line Press, 2022). His poems have appeared in Door=Jar Literary Magazine,  San Antonio Review, San Pedro River Review, Slipstream Magazine, Synkroniciti Magazine, among others, & have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. More at eugenestevenson.com

Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash