2 Poems

End of Days

They say the world is coming to an end.

I read the news and tend to agree.

But the dog doesn’t care,

Nudging me to go outside.

The robin dives into the fountain,

Taking a morning bath.

The squirrel scrambles up the tree,

Collecting maple seed pods for breakfast.

The air smells like fresh-cut grass,

The lilacs heavy with bloom.

Three out of five people I pass

Smile back at me as they rush to work.

The dog’s need to sniff

Makes my restless legs stop.

I look around me,

Taking in the color, the sounds, the warmth.

If this is the end of days,

Let them end like this.

(first published, Glass Gates Publishing, 2022)

Crazy

I want to burrow in your body,

from the nape of your neck

to your big ugly toes.

I want to bend where you bend,

stretch where you stretch.

I want to wrap my arms around you,

feel the rise and fall of your furry chest.

I want to press my hips

to the spot where your broad brown back

fades to pale ivory.

I want to snuggle my nose

just below your outsized ears,

inhaling the scent of your

sandalwood shampoo.

I want to breathe with you

snore with you

dream with you

stay here with you,

always.

But I won’t tell you.

You’d think I’m crazy,

and maybe I am.

Crazy in love,

with you.

Brian Christopher Giddens writes fiction and poetry from Seattle, where he lives with his husband, and Jasper the dog. Brian’s writing has been featured in the New York Times (Tiny Love Stories), Sequestrum, Litro, Bluebird Word, Hyacinth Review, Rue Scribe, Glimpse, and other publications. His work can be found at https://www.brianchristophergiddens.com/.