I wake in a painted stillness
People bargain beneath the veil,
others slouch toward disease.
Everything is for sale here.
I know my way out, my stick
tapping against the walls.
On the river, a boat crammed
with young and noisy women.
The moon shines. They sway
to the tune of their own singing.
My oars catch and die
on the black top of the river.
Michael Wurster has lived in Pittsburgh since 1964 and is a founding member of Pittsburgh Poetry Exchange. He has received a Shaded Room Magazine Pittsburgh Award, the 1980 COSMEP Conference MVP Award, a Harry Schwalb Excellence in the Arts Award from Pittsburgh Magazine, and a Petracca Family Award from Philadelphia Poets. In 2015, a sandwich was named for him by Pittsburgh Steak Co. His books include The Snake Charmer's Daughter, and The British Detective. He has co-edited, with Judith Robinson, the anthologies Along These Rivers: Poetry & Photography from Pittsburgh and The Brentwood Anthology, a collection of poems by members of the Pittsburgh Poetry Exchange open workshop.
