John C. Mannone
The Color of Hope
the silver threading clouds, the platinum sheen
churning sunlight in a dirty river, the white gold
of the moon on a dark pond, the brash of zinc
galvanizing the garbage can outside my empty apartment,
the mercury vapor illuminating my shadow
on a wet street, the pearly shine in the thin film
of my eye when I wave goodbye the last quake
of a silver maple in a chilly breeze, that glitter
only trees understand, the patina of dust
on moths’ wings as they fly up to the hot hot light,
and the filigree of rosary beads clasped around your hands
in the coffin, the soft light of prayers.
~
John C. Mannone has work in The Southern Poetry Anthology (North Carolina volume), Negative Capability, Split Rock Review, Poetica Magazine, Synaesthesia, 3Elements Review, The Baltimore Review, Rose Red Review, The Pedestal, and many others. His collection, Flux Lines, was a semi-finalist for the 2014 Mary Ballard Poetry Chapbook Prize. He’s the poetry editor for Silver Blade and Abyss & Apex, and an adjunct professor of chemistry and physics in east Tennessee. His work has been nominated three times for the Pushcart.
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