The Naked Truth
I stand naked inside the closet
where my costumes hang,
each more authentic than the others
when buttoned and zipped
into today. But here, before the mirror,
the naked body sags into tomorrow,
offering pause and gratitude
dressed in breath
before the light switch clicks
and the door blows shut.
*
Robert Nordstrom has published poetry in numerous regional and national publications, including upstreet, Main Street Rag, The Comstock Review, Naugatuck River Review, Chiron Review, Third Wednesday, ONE ART and various others. Several poems have garnered awards from the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the Oregon Poetry Association. His poem “Old Lovers” won the 2014 Hal Prize, and his 2016 poetry collection, The Sacred Monotony of Breath, received honorable mention from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. His latest collection, Dust on the Sill was published in 2023.
Perfect