Thomas Piekarski’s poem Islander appeared here in November 2013.

Purple Dove
By Thomas Piekarski

How many times have I
gotten my hopes inflated
only to have them die
inside a tear?

Why has the austere
frontier dangling above
not sent a purple dove
Earthward this spring?

What botanist can come up
with an equation negating
the inevitability
of the thing over there
that is nowhere?