Marc Harshman

‍ ‍

Fish and Whistle

I knew the invisible was real,
that the wings wanted trying
and, hope adrift, I looked
with an urge to climb,
climb a tree, gather
leaves like feathers,
fix them
with light
upon my skin,
and with light
leap
into the sky
as if
into water
and with the rush
of air
as I rose
blossom
and, when I fell, the air
trilling through my gills, reveal
birdsong, elegy, finale.

Marc Harshman’s collections of poetry include WOMAN IN RED ANORAK, winner of the Blue Lynx Prize, BELIEVE WHAT YOU CAN, winner of the Weatherford Award, and FOLLOWING THE SILENCE, Press 53. DISPATCH FROM THE MOUNTAIN STATE was recently published by WVU Press. He is also the author of fourteen nationally recognized children’s books.