John Sibley Williams
Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man
Against the shed out back
various implements stained by use
lean into each other,
pressing with one hand.
The wooden wall groans
and will give
eventually,
be remade of aluminum
or steel—
the whole structure—
but who discards
even the rustiest,
insignificant spade
when it knows the weeds
all too well?
Bio
John Sibley Williams is the author of six chapbooks, winner of the HEART Poetry Award, and finalist for the Pushcart, Rumi, and The Pinch Poetry Prizes. He has served as Acquisitions Manager of Ooligan Press and publicist for various presses and authors, and holds an MFA in Creative Writing and MA in Book Publishing. A few previous publishing credits include: Inkwell, Bryant Literary Review, Cream City Review, The Chaffin Journal, The Evansville Review, RHINO, Rosebud, Ellipsis, Flint Hills Review, and various fiction and poetry anthologies.