The Curse Of Children's Literature by Mark J. Mitchell

THE CURSE OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

You forgot to put your shadow away.
Gray morning swallowed and dragged it due west
past hidden islands and abandoned wrecks.
Now only cracked mirrors unveil your face--
A torn card from a very wicked deck.
It’s hard to shave, to walk into dull day
meaning it. This naked sidewalk is paved
with broken glass. No shadows. Your cool mess
is looking for something past the fog line.
Another life, you sailed. Clung to the rigging.
Sang chanties. Then you drowned—you know that much.
You’re still cold now—shadows of clouds singing
above you. Lost as Peter Pan, you touch
each crack. All your charts are printed on dark times.

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Mark J. Mitchell’s latest novel, The Magic War just appeared from Loose Leaves Publishing .A Full length collection of poems will released next year by Encircle Publications.  He studied writing at UC Santa Cruz under Raymond Carver and George Hitchcock. His work has appeared in the several anthologies and hundreds of periodicals. Three of his chapbooks— Three Visitors, Lent, 1999, and Artifacts and Relics—and the novel, Knight Prisoner are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  He lives with his wife the activist and documentarian, Joan Juster and makes a living pointing out pretty things in San Francisco. A meager online presence can be found at https://www.facebook.com/MarkJMitchellwriter/