A Poetry Showcase by John Drudge

photo by David Salamanca (c) Unsplash

Boulevards

When quiet
Slows the night
And anticipation
Quickens the pace
Of echoing steps
Through heavy-eyed
Boulevards
Down to the wintry river
To wait for the memory 
Of you
In the place
Where we once were

The Café

Down 
To the Latin Quarter
To the cafe
By the store
Where you bought
That green dress
Where we locked
Our bikes
To the street lamp
And raced the rain 
To salvation
Where the table
Was ours
In our universe
Away from it all
With everything nestled in
Where it belonged

Malaga Moon

The warm ocean breeze
Docks its thoughts
High up
On the white sand beach
Up to the patio
Of the bodega bar
With the windows wide open
And the stars near
Where men from the mountains
And drifters 
From the shore
Mingle in a multitude
Of loud moods
Alleviating 
The day’s unrest
With cheap cold beer
And oysters on the half
Under the watchful eye
Of a boastful moon
On a deeply inked
Malaga night

On the Road to Marseilles

I remember once
When we were young
And in love
With the sharp edge 
Of everything
Green in the grip
Of tomorrow
And looking toward
Slim horizons
Caught
In a slow rolling need
On the road 
To Marseilles 
Pressing hard 
Across Provence
From Nice
With the baby 
In the back seat
Making sweet noise
As the fields
And vineyards
Rolled by


Bio: John is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology.  He is the author of four books of poetry: “March” (2019), “The Seasons of Us” (2019), New Days (2020), and Fragments (2021). His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee and lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children.
jdrudge@ridm.net