east is north,
west is straight green sky
and south, the moon,
laughing drunk and sterile on his throne.
darkness throbs in the center of the light,
which falters like wet paper.
beginning erases end,
squeezing significance, like apple juice,
into the heart of a touch.
Nominated by Verdad literary journal for inclusion in the 16th annual Best of the Net Anthology, J.M. Hall has published a mini-chapbook collection and individual poems in numerous literary journals. Having earned a PhD in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University, he has also published seventy-seven peer-reviewed journal articles, and coedited Philosophy Imprisoned: The Love of Wisdom in the Age of Mass Incarceration. Finally, he has twenty-eight years’ experience as a choreographer and dancer.
