Saturday book feature — The Stones Keep Watch — John Whitney Steele

A flash of gold descends onto a blade
of grass, resolves into a dragonfly,
lingers there, airing its wings as I

creep in close, hold my breath, evade
its wary glance. Moments like this—where every
second counts—it’s what I live for.

Binoculars in focus, I gaze into its eye,
a speck of golden reverie,
lose myself in its translucent body.

The thought of reaching for my phone
breaks my dragonfly samadhi.
Before I notice, it has flown.

I can’t stop looking, listening, for the drone
of see-through wings, the lightning flash of gold.

by John Whitney Steele from The Stones Keep Watch (Kelsey Books, 2021)

Cover art: John Whitney Steele

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