Life In The Margins

In negative space his comments

dance with underlined words,

phrases, passages whole, noting

where to look, implying what to

ignore; lines drawn in red or blue,

sometimes blue on red or red on

blue plead for a pause, a reflection

subsumed to a five-point asterisk

targeting an idea he found profound;

more comfortable in ink than

youthful neon splashes, a black

pen enters his life of explication,

‍

in this autumn text where arrows

direct and triple underlines shout

for attention; I’m quelled by one-

armed parentheses stacked in the

margins, left unclosed, suggesting

an invite to chat; little did I know

this book you lent me would sustain

our dialogue, would fill your space.