Brandon Shane | 3 Poems

The Void

I feel like a painted canvas yet to dry
puppy that ran from home & is now
in the wilderness left to the cold rain
& sometimes I think of my father
as if I knew him well, conversations
never had with friends & spouses,
teachers who taught me
lessons I never learned,
sometimes, just sometimes
it’s enough, but mostly,
I stare out a window,
any window & wonder
if it could have ever
been different.

---

Rope

I have
this
dream
where
I sit
on a
beach
& get
hit by
waves
over
and
over
again
& I
can’t
move
or call
for help
because
no-one
is there
to listen
& then
I notice
reality
is the
same

---

Plunged

I’d like to be Icarus,
but first I need to fly,
get too close to the sun,
which is marvel itself,
have a father who’d
care enough to teach
me about the universe,
and even when I don’t
listen to the wisdom of
everyone around me,
am saved after falling
into the ocean, to live
another day, instead of
a tombstone or a cage,
whichever one is worse.

---

Brandon Shane is an alum of California State University, Long Beach, where he majored in English. He’s pursuing an MFA while working as a writing instructor and substitute teacher. Born in Yokosuka Japan, he is now a resident of San Diego. You can see his work in Acropolis Journal, Grim & Gilded, Livina Press, Bitterleaf Books, Remington Review, Salmon Creek Journal, BarBar Literary Magazine, Discretionary Love, among others. Find him on Twitter @Ruishanewrites