Typewriter

Each thin cudgel tucked like a cluster
of prostrate acrobats adorned in frosted
sheen of carbide gray,
poised to catapult, tumble in such a way
they remain reposed, even when aloft
in a flourish of pizzicato bluster.
Mantis-thin stems cuff symbols in
puddled thumps, hold each letter
like prey, fevered strokes pummel
paper, a fast-moving stream mumbling
sprinkler spill over the rounded lip of platen,
and water’s spooling in a sash of ribbon
that folds into counterfeit basins.
Faces flush, the taut, unsprung stems
now leave to paper their inky petals
while coal-black keys fall back, like steam,
into glazed puddle; carriage return extends
like a lonely hitchhiker’s thumb.
Yet, these brute, beautiful accordions still drum
on inside the ear, letters and characters all blend
like a lathering of gravel in some half-remembered dream.

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John Muro

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A resident of Connecticut and a lover of all things chocolate, John Muro has authored two volumes of poems - In the Lilac Hour and Pastoral Suite - in 2020 and 2022, respectively. He is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, a nominee for the Best of the Net Award and, more recently, he received a 2023 Grantchester Award. John's work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Acumen, Barnstorm, Delmarva, Moria, River Heron, Sky Island and the Valparaiso Review.

You may follow John on Instagram.

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