Seth Jani
Populating the Dark
Kami, like light or pollen,
Renegade music at the forest’s edge,
Are always showing
In the bleared treetops,
In the cosmonaut’s dreams.
They are ruptures in the casual routine,
Sleights in the daily business,
Sudden flowering gods
Secretly upsetting the office order,
Or more intently
Driving the market crash,
All those well-dressed jumpers
Tumbling overhead.
Sometimes I catch them
In a lightbulb,
Strange filaments of smoke
In the curving glass,
Late-night whispers
That startle me from sleep
Like splitting tree limbs,
Or a deceased relative’s
Half-remembered voice
Drifting in from the cellar door.
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Seth Jani currently resides in Seattle, WA and is the founder of Seven CirclePress (www.sevencirclepress.com). His own work has been published widely in such places as The Coe Review, Devilfish Review, The Hamilton Stone Review, Hawai`i Pacific Review, Gingerbread House and Gravel. More about him and his work can be found at www.sethjani.com.