The Next Ride by William R. Stoddart
In duple rhythm beats
the dizzying Wurlitzer:
Wood trumpets, cello pipes,
trombones, flutes and bells.
Thoroughbreds bob in the incandescent
whirlpool, turn again like repentance,
return your prodigal son. In metrical feet
I measure the arrhythmic heart,
steal shadows from a sundial,
hold the sun to its promise,
hold the promise like a flower,
until we meet again and again.
William R. Stoddart is a Pushcart nominated poet and fiction writer who lives in Pennsylvania. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in North Dakota Quarterly, Litro Magazine, Adirondack Review, The Orchards Poetry Journal, and Ruminate Magazine.