A white pillar of sand stands
close by the New Infirmary;
mica flecks, embedded there,
glint and shimmer.
The sand fly, despite her broken wing
and all that distance flown,
knows she’s the luckiest moving object
in the territory.
Barry Wallenstein is the author of eight collections of poetry, the most recent being At the Surprise Hotel and Other Poems [Ridgeway Press, 2016] and Drastic Dislocations: New and Selected Poems [New York Quarterly Books, 2012]. His poetry has appeared in over 100 journals, including Ploughshares, The Nation, and American Poetry Review. A special interest is his presentation of poetry readings in collaboration with jazz. He has made nine recordings of his poetry with jazz, the most recent being Lisbon Sunset (2018), What Was, Was (2015) and Lucky These Days (2013). Barry is Emeritus Professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the City University of New York and an editor of the journal, American Book Review.