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.
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