Trapper Markelz
End of an Era
The text message came in he died last night
and the snowflakes continued to fall
as quiet cherry petals and the fireplace
crackled, chewing up wooden hearts.
Somewhere it takes ten, strong arms
to lift him–softly remove a broken sandal.
Far away on the hill, a jackhammer splits rock
like death cracks open a family
and with pen and ink and dumpster and moving van,
reform the pieces into some new collage
of jagged edges & missing slivers–a cup
that still holds water if tilted at the correct angle.
–something you can put your lips on to sip–
a bone broth that mends you deep inside.
Bio
Trapper Markelz (he/him) is a poet, husband, and father of four, who writes from Boston, Massachusetts. His work has appeared in the journals Baltimore Review, Stillwater Review, The Moving Force Journal, Greensboro Review, Passengers Journal, High Shelf Press, Dillydoun Review, and others. You can learn more about him at trappermarkelz.com.