In The Corners

In The Corners

written by: Craig R Kirchner

Retired is a routine,
no mark to hit on stage,
no lines to rehearse, just get up,
make the coffee, stay hidden,
hang in the corners backstage,
occasionally audition for a part
you know you won’t get.

If lucky you’re hanging
with a Sundance, a soul mate,
the corners can be electric,
when you get to the Kuerig
you make two and it feels good.
You don’t have to perform,
you know you are the lead.

But what of the empty corners,
the silent theatre, an occasional mouse
or cock roach, the only conversation
are soliloquys to no applause.
The routine is mundane,
the only part, meaningless.
I contacted an organization that

“Takes poetry to underprivileged children” –
volunteered to do readings, hopefully teach
someone the thrill of writing a poem.
The director said, “we don’t
have volunteers do that anymore.”
I went back to the corner, and am still
mulling over the mission statement.

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• About
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Craig R Kirchner

Craig has written poetry all his life, is now retired, and thinks of poetry as hobo art. He loves storytelling and the aesthetics of the paper and pen. The parallel, horizontal, blue lines on white legal, staring left to right, knowing that the ink, when it meets the resistance of the page will feel extroverted, set free, at liberty to jump, the two skinny, vertical red lines to get past the margin. He was nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize, and has a book of poetry, Roomful of Navels. After a writing hiatus he has recently been published and has work forthcoming in a dozen or so journals.

Latest posts by Craig R Kirchner (see all)

• Desert Trek - January 6, 2025
• In The Corners - October 8, 2024
• Stephan’s Quintet - August 9, 2024