The Reshaping of Clay

Nightly, I dream the pottery
of my fragments
strewn in a forest of fireflies,
brief ashes burning hunger
for what lies above the soil.

I metaphor a self at daybreak
in salamander memory
retrieved from the fire
of my nocturnal disintegration.

I mark the pieces of clay,
numbering each with hope
of reassembly.
My soft pottery
fires itself solid
in a few more dawns.

David Anthony Sam lives in Virginia with his wife, Linda. His poetry has appeared in over 100 journals. Sam’s collection, Stone Bird, was released in 2023 by San Francisco Bay Press. Writing the Significant Soil (Wayfarer Books 2022) was awarded the Homebound Poetry Prize. Six other collections are in print.