Craggy Rock: poem by T. J. Masluk

moon and trees, image by Free Fun Art, on Pixabay

Craggy Rock 

from a dream 

I remember me, on this craggy rock 

‘neath an old, moon-draped tree 

hearing voices, 

seeing yellowy buses 

and long-ago pals. 

Autumn—golds and burgundy reds 

carpeting the ground, 

iron bell tolling, 

Come along children, 

come along! 

On the playground, 

we are aiming for the fence, 

for Miller’s yard beyond the fence, 

signaling home run, 

all of us, 

in white, 

playing by moonlight. 

(First published in The Seventh Quarry, Issue 37, Winter/Spring 2023, Swansea, Wales)

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T. J. Masluk is a self-taught poet and essayist from the industrial town of Northampton, Pennsylvania. He’s been published widely in countries such as England, China, South Africa, Croatia, India, Israel, and Pakistan, to name a few. A self-described Catholic existentialist, his work often grapples with the terrifying realities of the human condition, while marveling at life’s dappled things and moments of grace. Details: https://nyq.org/poets/poet/tj-masluk

(April 2026 issue)