...
I don’t like poems beginning with I.
Every poem should begin, and end,
with you, no matter what happens
in between. In the middle,
there should be a tree, so the poem
is firmly rooted and the lines
have enough fresh air to breathe.
The daughters I never had play
in its shade, climbing the branches
and skipping rope. The poet is standing
by the window, watching them, smiling, with
a cup of tea in his hand. And someone
is sitting beside him, reading this poem.
It’s you!
...
Oliver Kleyer is a teacher & poet from Northern Germany. He teaches German as a Second Language in a refugee camp. He writes in German & English. His poems have appeared in Duck Duck Mongoose, Five Fleas, Disturb the Universe & elsewhere. His poem "A rambling meditation", published in Raw Lit, was nominated for Best of the Net. When not teaching or writing, he's trying to make his mandolin sing.
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