the sun shone having no rush
to quit that perfect summer day—
with tape measure and chalk, we
plotted the planets down the street—
the distance growing between each,
and we talked light years, galaxies—
how small we really are, the miracle
of one piece of matter, expanding—
how time didn’t always exist, and stars
long dead are just now being seen—
* first 5 words are the first 5 words of Murphy by Samuel Beckett
Lisa Stice is a poet, literary activist, mother, military spouse, and the author of four full-length poetry collections, Letters from Conflict (Middle West Press, 2024), Forces (Middle West Press, 2021), Permanent Change of Station (Middle West Press, 2018), and Uniform (Aldrich Press, 2016), and a chapbook, Desert(Prolific Press, 2018). She volunteers as a mentor and editor for various journals/presses/organizations. She received a BA in English literature from Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University) and an MFA in creative writing and literary arts from the University of Alaska Anchorage. While it is difficult to say where home is, she currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, daughter, and dog. @LisaSticePoet and lisastice.wordpress.com
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