Milky Poem by CJ Cioc
I smell stars, loudly – singing rings of chorus, orbits. Towards us, comets— named them after us. Named them Halley, Hale-bopp— tear drops on fire. I can lay on my back on the hillside by the road, sniffing out Cadillacs and autoshow Edsels, winesap taillights, tasting speed, and cinnamon blood, hot blood shining in pale moonlight— tar black engine oil blood. A jakebrake pulses, echoes, and rolls over hills. It fills the still air, the stale night and bare trees with shuddering leaves. In rings of purple my retinas lattice tear detach. Afterimage burns which streak in green neon through my galaxy of void I see all.
CJ Cioc is a Rosemont College graduate with his MFA in Creative Writing. His poetry collection “Capitulum” recently earned him Thesis of the Year and thesis with distinction. As an undergrad he served as a contributing editor for the campus magazine, Calliope, before graduating with his BA in English. He was awarded the Martha E. Martin Writing award for both Fiction and Poetry. CJ lives in the Pocono Mountains where he enjoys backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, sleeping in, and mending stone walls. Photo credit: Hannah Wallner
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