Poetry: Selections from Tohm Bakelas

2/27/2021

in the inky 

night i see 

small things of matter—

 

stars overhead,

lives moving forward—

 

i write poetry in the cold 

library parking lot,

 

the lights are bright. 

recurring spring poem

the rhododendron bush

blooms every spring

but it’s another

reminder that

you’re not here

chasing the muse

i’ve lost her,

and the nighttime

sounds are

so lonely

when

you’re not

around.

Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, zines, and online publications. He has published 12 chapbooks and runs: Between Shadows Press.