Subjunctive Blues
by John Calvin Hughes

In the one
dark room,
only the lamp,
the soft bulb.

Only the night,
the black trees
through the
black screen.

Listen.
If I could will
a thing tonight,
it would be you.

Touch your clothes,
and in the hiss
of stillness,

hear your skin,
reach inside your shirt.

John Calvin Hughes has published poems, stories, and criticism in numerous magazines and journals. He is the author of The Novels and Short Stories of Frederick Barthelme, a critical study from the Edwin Mellen Press. He lives and works in Florida.

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