by DeWitt Clinton
"A sigh is just a sigh."
—lyric by Herman Hupfeld
Some of us may have made it, or we at least pretend
We have made it, though all of us know we’re just
Kidding ourselves, but what else is there now that
A few of us can fill our lungs without stinging bats
That somehow did not find their way down into us.
We could also take the next hour (day) (week) (year)
To remember all those who have fallen, who did not
Know what in the world was inside of them, but it
Was inside them, and many who were nearby have
Also fallen down, some in the most hopeless places
Of the world, and as well, some in the most luxurious
Rooms not everyone could dream about, but still,
It might do us all some good to just remember what
None of us could ever imagine happening just like
That.
DeWitt Clinton taught English, Creative Writing, and World of Ideas courses for over 30 years at the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater. He is a student of Iyengar Yoga, and occasionally substitutes as a Zoom yoga instructor for seniors in The Village of Shorewood, Wisconsin. His four collections of poetry include The Conquistador Dog Texts, The Coyot. Inca Texts (New Rivers Press), At the End of the War (Kelsay Books, 2018), and By a Lake Near a Moon: Fishing with the Chinese Masters (Is A Rose Press, 2020). A fifth poetry collection has been accepted by Word Tech Communications.