If You Find No Poem
If you find
no poem on
your doorstep
in the morning,
no paper, no knock on your door,
your life poorly edited
but no broken dashes
or injured meter –
if you do not wear white
satin dresses late in life
embroidered with violet
flowers on the collar;
nor do you have
burials daily
across main street –
if no one whispers
in your ear, Emily Dickinson –
you feel alone –
but not reclusive –
the sand child
still sleeping in your eyes –
wiping your tears away –
if you find
no poem on
your doorstep –
you know
you are not from New England.
Michael Lee Johnson lived ten years in Canada during the Vietnam era. Today he is a poet, freelance writer, photographer, and small business owner in Itasca, Illinois. He has been published in more than 875 small press magazines in twenty-seven countries, and he edits 9 poetry sites.
Portage Magazine 
