Five Poems (hovering between the absurd and the existential): Out of Print

By both calculation and guess

sticking your thoughts

into the madness of the past

and the anticipated folly of the future

(more leeway with future than past)

you decide that this is the momentous instant

when life makes least sense

when everything and nothing

coalesce into a hodgepodge

of philosophical muck.

But whom to tell

whom to consult for rescue

explanation or a knowing nod

maybe a drink or two would do the trick

maybe three or four prayers

maybe five or six screams

loud enough for the jaded to hear

the sudden realization

like a book slammed shut

your old love letters

and confessional poems

are out of print.

J.J. Steinfeld

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Canadian poet/fiction writer/playwright J. J. Steinfeld lives on Prince Edward Island, where he is patiently waiting for Godot’s arrival and a phone call from Kafka. While waiting, he has published 25 books, including An Unauthorized Biography of Being (Stories), Absurdity, Woe Is Me, Glory Be (Poetry), A Visit to the Kafka Café (Poetry), Gregor Samsa Was Never in The Beatles (Stories), Morning Bafflement and Timeless Puzzlement (Poetry), Somewhat Absurd, Somehow Existential (Poetry), Acting on the Island (Stories), and As You Continue to Wait (Poetry).