FACE TO FACE

Back to Issue 14

   You know that silhouette of two facing faces
which could be seen as a vase   where a rose
or a dozen might be placed   fragrantly
between them? 

   You know that silent couple   in the restaurant
last week   texting through their meals
the vase   empty? 
   I’ve so many friends   I’ve never met
connected across oceans & borders
   The new world is like that
deep compassion for our dearest strangers
as unknown neighbours smile   shoveling snow
   I’ve always been friends   with the dead
poets & painters   who seem to expect
so little of me   but then   unexpectedly   raise the stakes
   The thing about the vase
of two facing faces   pull one away and it breaks 

By D. S. Martin


D.S. Martin is Poet-in-Residence at McMaster Divinity College, and Series Editor for the Poiema Poetry Series from Cascade Books. He has written five poetry collections including Angelicus (2021), Ampersand (2018), and Conspiracy of Light: Poems Inspired by the Legacy of C.S. Lewis (2013). He and his wife live in Brampton, Ontario; they have two adult sons.