6 a.m. by James Owens
first light is a very old hammer
and mist a very old bell
that shimmers and rings
above water on stones
i have walked out alone into the world
where we pray together
young naïve monks
though we are not monks
and we do not pray
i would turn back to you now
i would pray my mouth on your mouth
Two books of James Owens's poems have been published: An Hour is the Doorway (Black Lawrence Press) and Frost Lights a Thin Flame (Mayapple Press). His poems, reviews, translations, and photographs have appeared widely in literary journals, including recent or upcoming publications in The Cortland Review, Poetry Ireland, The Stinging Fly, The Cresset, and Valparaiso Poetry Review. He has an MFA from the University of Alabama and lives in central Indiana and northern Ontario.
first light is a very old hammer
and mist a very old bell
that shimmers and rings
above water on stones
i have walked out alone into the world
where we pray together
young naïve monks
though we are not monks
and we do not pray
i would turn back to you now
i would pray my mouth on your mouth
Two books of James Owens's poems have been published: An Hour is the Doorway (Black Lawrence Press) and Frost Lights a Thin Flame (Mayapple Press). His poems, reviews, translations, and photographs have appeared widely in literary journals, including recent or upcoming publications in The Cortland Review, Poetry Ireland, The Stinging Fly, The Cresset, and Valparaiso Poetry Review. He has an MFA from the University of Alabama and lives in central Indiana and northern Ontario.
