Three Poems by A.J. Huffman

Embracing Change . . .

I’m settling in

and every minute can be

daunting.  Becoming

your nothing, I’ve met

with suggestions

on tweaks and additions.

One of the biggest developments

is a hope that you devour

what you love.

And what you don’t.

Masterful Interpreters of the Human Vibe

I thought everything was right

with the world.  I saw dark

eyes below the surface.  There were deep

days of secrets.  I thought I had everything

contained.  I soon learned betrayal

was a one-room efficiency

across the parking lot.  I have one foot

in a place I knew I could never leave

without dying.  I did not want to grow

up.  I did not want to learn

about wearing my sins like a blanket,

but I was in no position to change things.

The risk of chaos was always near,

and poison literally hung in the air. 

I saw it as the subtle difference

between hope and desire.  There was still

something pure about that.  Of course,

it helps to be able to breathe

in dirty air.

Ungusted Wind

Heavy silence

weighing on lungs,

waiting for another breath

of memory.  A tussled-hair anticipation.

A relief from smothering

heat that never comes.

A.J. Huffman has published twelve full-length poetry collections, thirteen solo poetry chapbooks and one joint poetry chapbook through various small presses.  Her most recent releases, Degeneration (Pink Girl Ink), A Bizarre Burning of Bees (Transcendent Zero Press), and Familiar Illusions (Flutter Press) are now available from their respective publishers.  She is a five-time Pushcart Prize nominee, a two-time Best of Net nominee, and has published over 2500 poems in various national and international journals, including Labletter, The James Dickey Review, The Bookends Review, Bone Orchard, Corvus Review, EgoPHobia, and Kritya.  She is also the founding editor of Kind of a Hurricane Press.  www.kindofahurricanepress.com.