voice | poetry
His eyes close
As if he prays
Corners of his mouth
Move as a young cat
Dreams of suckling
Does his faith send a
Request to his god
Or does he dream.
A tear falls from the
Outside corner
Lands on his collar
No—it’s sweat,
A drop from his hair.
Old man is like a babe
Resting in a crib
Constructed by days
Of hard labor
Hammered by nights
With jarred hooch
Shannon Laws is an award-winning poet, performer, and advocate for the arts. She has been recognized with two Mayor’s Arts Awards and the Dr. Asha Bhargava Memorial Award — Community Champion. Her work has been featured in numerous journals and anthologies, and she has captivated audiences at esteemed literary events, including the Jack McCarthy Evergreen Invitational Slam, SpeakEasy, Poetry Night, Kitchen Sessions, and the West Coast Tagore Festival. Beyond her writing and performances, Shannon actively fosters literary and artistic communities. Since 2022, she has curated Corridor, a monthly “found-art” zine project that showcases the work of more than 50 contributing poets and artists. She is also the founder and host of Poetry Club, an engaging discussion group established in 2015. View more posts
shannon p. laws