Julian Day 2454100
Twice, from
love, she sat
through death
friend (first),
& mother (years
later)
father, al-
most
that
November night
shared
Hard times
Wordless stances
in the world of change
~ Gil McElroy
This poem is from an ongoing, open-ended cycle of poems collectively entitled “The Julian Days”. The series is based on a system of dating events that is essentially the cumulative count of days that have passed since January 1, 4713 BCE. Each of the poems is thus numerically titled, indicating the day on which the poem was written. Sections of “The Julian Days” have appeared in Gil McElroy’s three books, Dream Pool Essays, NonZero Definitions, and Last Scatering Surfaces (all from Talonbooks).
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