Mark J. Mitchell - Lazy Afternoon Poem

Longtime San Francisco-based poet Mark J. Mitchell eases readers into the warm heavy heart of summer with his “Lazy Afternoon Poem”. This is a poem of stillness, of items and life at rest, or attempting to rest. But paradoxically, it’s also a poem of relentless motion. From the pacing figure in the background of the poem who is palpable with dread or anxiety, to the unstoppable crush of passing time, to learning how to talk to God, “Lazy Afternoon Poem” is, in fact, a poem of hidden momentum.

Lazy Afternoon Poem

Light kissed empty glass.
There’s a letter on the table,
handwritten, unreadable.
You stand and walk past
it again. A way to banish
news you don’t want to see
history you’d rather not repeat.
Pick up the glass. The dishes
gather in the sink. You’d like
this to mean more than days
slipping past too quickly.
It doesn’t. Symbols are tricky.
Stop thinking. Learn to pray.

Mark J. Mitchell

Mark J. Mitchell has been a working poet for fifty years. His latest collection is Something To Be. A novel, A Book of Lost Songs, was recently published by Histria Books. Mark is fond of baseball, Louis Aragon, Dante, and his wife, activist Joan Juster. He lives in San Francisco where he points out pretty things and can be found on Bluesky @MJMitchellwriter.