ANTICIPATING A CONTINUANCE

Take cover
behind the trees
the end is dying—
I speak a dazzling
clouded intangible

At a crossroads
seek shelter in
any wind that blows—
remember
where snow will fall

Let’s taste vapor
for what it is:
transparent coming—
unreliable the shifting
of unfolding maps

The fun is over
birth never ends—
lost to broad daylight
you meet green water
missed at each turning

The witness
grows old in
traces of sadness—
come singing friend
while the snow falls

 
CHESS PLAYS THE EXILE

Always under a hand’s control
it does not comprehend
the pawn gets moved first

A bishop waits sternly
to angle something
with sanctimonious slide

The castle will not be stormed today
while a knight moves forward
only to avert

The pawn must be moved again
another space forward
into its surrender

The king remains behind
useless except for mating
while the queen

wears her power
in white or black
never in gray


Biography:
David Anthony Sam is the grandson of Polish and Syrian immigrants. He has written poetry for over 40 years and has two collections, including
Memories in Clay, Dreams of Wolves (2014). He lives in Virginia USA with his wife and life partner, Linda, and currently serves as president of Germanna Community College. www.davidanthonysam.com

Credits:
In 2014-15, he had poems accepted by
American Tanka, Artemis Journal, The Birds We Pile Loosely, Blue Heron Review, Buddhist Poetry Review, Carbon Culture Review, Clementine Poetry Journal, The Crucible, FLARE: The Flager Review, From the Depths, Heron Tree, Hound, Literature Today. On the Rusk, Piedmont Virginian Magazine, The Scapegoat Review, Spirit Wind Poetry Gallery, The Summerset Review, These Fragile Lilacs, and The Write Place at the Write Time.