New Poetry from James Bertolino first published in "Raven Chronicles"
I hope this does not betray
something that will embarrass me,
but I must speak: I have found
there are ghostly letters
that are present between “ell”
and “em,” as well as between
“are” and “ess.” Whenever I utter
the alphabet, my heart clenches there,
where the secret letters emerge
like islands in a bay. One has a sound
that whines, the other like
a quiet cough. Please tell me
if you are concerned about what I know,
or about my sanity. I do worry
that what we say may have meaning
we don’t comprehend, a meaning
that might enrage the spirits,
and thus bring us harm.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
James Bertolino, Poet & Planetary Visionary
James Bertolino's poetry has been published in magazines, books, and anthologies internationally for almost 40 years, from "Drool" published in 1968 to his most recent, "Pocket Animals: 60 Poems" published in 2002 by Egress Studio Press. Check out his website to purchase his publications through Egress Studio Press and for more information and free beautiful poetry greeting cards that you can copy & print directly from his website.
(The photo of James, courtesy of the poet. All poems reprinted here with the kind permission of James Bertolino.)