"he's half deaf and hiding it again"
Photo by Maria Orlova: Pexels.com
there's always that one guy
the odd man out
sitting back in the corner
completely Nick Cave
stoned and/or bashful
counter-dispositional and/or analytical
even when the conversation
chases round his head
like hummingbirds
then moves on quickly
to another feeder
he may sip a Campari
cloistered in sad reflection
smile at children
from his island cage
doesn't join in banter
doesn't work the room as
he's half deaf and hiding it again
yesterday
he heard fine.
E. Martin Pedersen, originally from San Francisco, has lived for over forty years in eastern Sicily, where he taught English at the local university. His poetry appeared most recently in Avatar Review, Canyon Voices, Slab, SurVision, and Helix Literary Magazine, among others. Martin is an alumnus of the Community of Writers. He has published two collections of haiku, Bitter Pills and Smart Pills, and a chapbook, Exile's Choice, from Kelsay Books. A full collection, Method & Madness, is forthcoming from Odyssey Press. Martin's poem, "Gull Eggs," was nominated by Flapper Press for the Best of the Net Award 2023.