Identity Poem (Take 2)

Little by little, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
gives itself back to ocean storms;
c o n c r e t e and s t e e l dust blue crabs
and oysters in the depths;
some people pay to be driven                    across,
shudder in their own passenger seats.
There’s harder things to be scared of
than a bridge, like seahorses
or pine trees,
but then there’s reflections:
each wrinkle a desert road,
lost reception,
water gone;
shadows living in skin;
the body’s flaps and folds.

… [Click here to purchase a copy of the magazine]

Gabriel Cleveland

Gabriel Cleveland is a poet with an MFA from the Solstice Creative Writing Program. Along with press founder Joan Cusack Handler, he co-edited Places We Return To, a 20th Anniversary retrospective on the publishing history of CavanKerry Press, where he serves as Director and Managing. An avid video gamer and music lover, he hosts The Andover Special, a weekly internet radio program on HomeGrownRadioNJ.com. Gabriel is also a mental health advocate, often working online to raise awareness, visibility, and money for psychological and psychosocial issues. He has spent several years in the field of caregiving for people with increased physical and/or mental needs and wants you to know that you’re not alone.

Contributions by Gabriel Cleveland