Eternal optimism
with a subtle note
of sorrow
Obsession with smiling
while fans spin chaotic
Leaves flung
to the far side
of autumn
Keep chasing that wish
back to soil
(here is a kiss for all of your fault lines
here is a bite for your perfect mistakes)
Dance on cue in heavy traffic to grungy cuts
bless me with courage in the silence between crashes
I would beg
for one more
synchronistic flash
of assurance
to escape
from the groaning sky
or a sign
that gods are laughing
heartily
behind the scenes
with each
toss of the dice
Scott Thomas Outlar is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. He now lives and writes in Frederick, Maryland. He is the author of seven books, and his work has been nominated multiple times for both the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. He guest-edited the Hope Anthology of Poetry from CultureCult Press as well as the 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Western Voices editions of Setu Mag. He has been a weekly contributor at Dissident Voice for the past eight years. Selections of his poetry have been translated into Afrikaans, Albanian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Cherokee, Dutch, French, Hindi, Italian, Kurdish, Malayalam, Persian, Serbian, and Spanish. More about Outlar's work can be found at 17Numa.com.
