Touched by Raymond Luczak
In the dark of forests, only a scant beam
of moonlight filters through the mire of branches.
Men I can barely see hover nearby.
I have seen them before in the bright of day.
How different they behave in the mask of shadow.
I long for a stronger candle, an understanding
of why things must be the way that they are.
The mysteries of touch are many. It’s hard
enough for my heart to solve only one.
Raymond Luczak is the author and editor of 23 books, including Flannelwood (Red Hen Press, 2019) and Once Upon a Twin (Gallaudet University Press, 2021). His work has appeared in Poetry, Passages North, and elsewhere. A ten-time Pushcart Prize nominee and an inaugural Zoeglossia Fellow, he lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.