The Kiss
I saw a man kiss another man today
In the shadowed light of the city,
Lips to cheek
A father, a son
The son a grown man
The father, aged, but not elderly
The kiss both intimate
And formal
Like lovers soon after a quarrel
When the boundaries are still fluid
The father’s kiss an apology as well as claim:
We have argued, because you are mine
To argue with.
Mind out of Time
I buried you thirty years from now
From where I lay resting
In black quietude
And if you’ve not quite buried me
In the pillowed infirmity
Of your mind
It wouldn’t be the first our hands
Sought to linger outside
Of time.
Ken Holland has had work widely published in such journals as Rattle, Tulane Review, Southwest Review, and Tar River with poetry current/forthcoming in Kestrel, California Quarterly, Midwest Quarterly and The Alembic. He was awarded first place in the 2022 New Ohio Review poetry contest, judged by Kim Addonizio, and was a finalist in the 2022 Lascaux Prize in Poetry. His book-length manuscript, Summer of the Gods, was a semi-finalist in the 2022 Able Muse book competition as well as Word Work’s 2022 Washington Prize. He’s been nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize. More by visiting his website: www.kenhollandpoet.com.