The photo was taken by Casey Rearick, just outside of E. Liverpool, OH. (L-R) John Dorsey, S.A. Griffin, Mark Hartenbach
Appalachian Orpheus Ascending
for Mark Hartenbach
Marko is a left-handed rock weeping his
dream of consciousness with sonic saxophones
tuned to the salt of genius
a drive-in movie making love to a Double-D feature
in the back seat of his come with me imagination
from the outer limits of no adjustment necessary
a ship of holy fools landing on the
ragged hem of grandmother’s Ouija madness
naked as the day she was unborn
into the promissory ink
a fistful of mercy trying to hold
a cup full of mother’s milk in her bikini sunset
crying over spilt grief
the time of your life
crossing the finish line
first and last
but not least
Marko is a national monument to process
the spot calling the treasure back
a human whose only cause is being
a three-day weekend in pursuit of a
jazz riff with nowhere to go
but bop
Subtle Suggestion by Mark Hartenbach
I love love this poem, S.A., I haven’t read you in way too long. And what a great subject. Our talented Marko. Come back to facebook. I miss you!