With Gold Chains by Jacob Butlett

              Chris Friese CC



With Gold Chains
after Marin Sorescu

With gold chains I manacled
the ankles of the stars
so the stars wouldn’t leave me.

I manacled the wrists 
of the moon to my waist 
and begged the moon to stay. 

At daybreak I manacled the wings
of the sun to my palms
and prayed it wouldn’t fly away.

I manacled my misery behind 
my back so I wouldn’t have
to see it anymore.

By noon I manacled the clouds
with the morning stars 
and asked the sky to walk with me.

I manacled the trees to my misery
and by evening the shade
held me in its arms.

We understand where you’ve been,
said the night as the lamplight smiled.
Don’t be afraid to love again.

Don’t be afraid to love again,
said a distant voice, the same voice
manacled in the shadow of my heart.

​

Jacob Butlett is a former literary journal editor and Pushcart Prize nominee with an A.A. in General Studies and a B.A. in Creative Writing. Some of his work has been published in The MacGuffin, Panoply, Rat's Ass Review, COUNTERCLOCK, Cacti Fur, South Broadway Ghost Society, Rabid Oak, Ghost City Review, Lunch Ticket, Anti-Heroin Chic, Into the Void, and plain china. He was a finalist in the 2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards residency competition. Learn more about Jacob at https://jacobbutlettacademicreflection.weebly.com/. 

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