A Pause After by Ben Nardolilli

Any compression or expansion is possible
on an otherwise regular lifeline
when you are willing to storm the reality studio

I wanted to keep things fluid without flux
and to climb into existential riches
while clinging to simple, descriptive language

I only demanded new forms when I wanted to say
something highly rhythmical
that could be wrenched out of a small space

At the end of it, even though I shaped my life
and cut it, and allegorized it,
it was still just a dream someone else had.

Ben Nardolilli currently lives in New York City. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Red Fez, Danse Macabre, The 22 Magazine, Quail Bell Magazine, Elimae, The Northampton Review, Local Train Magazine, The Minetta Review, and Yes Poetry. He blogs at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com and is trying to publish a novel.