Poems by David Siff

"August 6, 2025"

for the memory of J.H.

It is a perfect summer day 
Hot but clear
From horizon to horizon.
Beyond the edges of the local park
Cars slow the crowded streets 
Behemoth busses inch along
Bearing ads for Paradise on their sides;
Mothers push their strollers
Innocent kids try for the sky.
Below my window, early as it is,
Norman, the retired schoolteacher from 2D
Who likes to talk—and talk—
Is holding forth with Rogelio
About the Yankees or the dangers of crypto.
Just then, the Gays’ daughter
Always on the run, nearly collides with
Dr. Gay (no relation), the dentist
From IC, arriving for work.
He jokes with her about the name they share
(’That does not mean free dental care!’)
Above the chatter and the heat
Only deep blue and emptiness
Save for a tiny spec of silver
Seen only by the sharpest eye
Inching closer across the sky

Innocence

In winter it is possible to see
Through the blistered branches
To the silver scar of the river.

In winter it is possible to see
The colors of the Mourning Doves
As they clean themselves in the warming sun.

In winter it is possible to see
That the playgrounds have emptied
And the streets are bare

Save for the yellowed tape
Where Danny Markey lay
For half that day after the singing stopped.