astonishing
By Mickey Cesar

he no longer
feels uneasy
fumbling through pockets for cigarettes
or a woman’s car keys,
but still,
on a sidewalk sliced by wind,
he feels compelled
to justify
everything else.

the grass, well-trimmed
circling the Helen Foresman Spencer Museum
remains unexpectedly green.

at such an age
(when the beard goes grey)
a bachelor really shouldn’t
have parents to entertain,
or feel forced to explain
the astonishing beauty
of a snowflake melting on the sweater
of a slightly confused but confident
Jessica or Sarah from some rural Kansas nothingness
sitting at her desk
just a breath away.