Saturday, December 31, 2022

ON FIRSTS IN (AND OF) A SERIES

by Jen Schneider




many viewed a sit-down with the master

as a sign they had arrived, when the truth

seeker knew it was she that would steer 

the conversation


to destinations named 

truth—dissimilar

all the same—amidst 

streetcars of desire 

and paths of

many 


firsts

breaks

airwaves


all in a series of views 

and viewers—direct

questions, big scores,

time (and timely) covers


gets and galas

days and nights

anchors and achings

ports and payscales

spoofs and spares

drivers and dares

trees and trials

fears and fashions

trials and televisions

presidents and precedents

interns and internments

ladders and legacies


truth, 

done right


always (and all)


knowing

that arrivals 

are relative and truths 

measured—


in a series

of stand-ups

and sit-downs


up down

across town


paths

well sown


it’s not goodbye

it’s not goodnight

it’s not farewell


it’s 20-20 vision,

mountains climbed,

broadcasts traversed


her way


an unmeasurable

and irreplaceable


first 


a fabulous

lady



Jen Schneider is an educator who lives, writes, and works in small spaces throughout Pennsylvania. Recent works include A Collection of RecollectionsInvisible InkOn Habits & Habitats, and Blindfolds, Bruises, and Breakups.