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John Muro
Peonies
Floating above salvia’s purple spires
of candle dust, these clutched fists
shadow box with wind, juking
between sun and shadow, until
the leathery flesh blisters and
erupts into a fountain of fragrance
and garish extravagance,
ecclesiastical-white blossoms as
large as marble busts declaring
their intent to be of – and in –
this world well beyond a single
season, just the way an act of mercy
might emerge from a hard kernel
of despair to ease or mend a life.
~
First published in River Heron Review, Issue 4.2, August 2021
Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, as well as the Best of the Net Award, John Muro is a resident of Connecticut and a lover of all things chocolate. He has authored two volumes of poems – In the Lilac Hour and Pastoral Suite – in 2020 and 2022, respectively, and both volumes were published by Antrim House. John’s poems have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Acumen, Barnstorm, Delmarva, New Square, River Heron, Sky Island and the Valparaiso Review.
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