A Poem by David James

With Or Without Hope

Not a cloud in the sky, not a fish
in my bed.  It's a good day to be
alive, the kind of day that makes a terrorist

regret having a bomb strapped to his chest.
Officially, we're into fall but the leaves
remain, mostly green, and have not turned against

us yet.  They will.  Everything does.  No one
down here gets a free pass with the purchase
of a decent life.  Some days, even a blue sky hurts

as it spreads itself into oblivion.

David James' third book, My Torn Dance Card, was a finalist in the 2016 Next Generation Indie book award; his second book, She Dances Like Mussolini, won the 2010 Next Generation Indie book award.  He teaches at a community college in Michigan.