The question becomes
one of questions and more questions.
The question becomes
which question to ask.
The question becomes
whether to ask it at all.
The question becomes
to what extent.
The question becomes
to what end.
The question becomes
too large for the printed page.
The question becomes
too toxic to breathe out loud.
The question becomes
one of the many still at large.
The question becomes
one of the few that remain in storage.
The question becomes
a poet burning freshly-written pages.
The question becomes
a word to rhyme with rhyme.
The question becomes
a dream to dream with sleep.
The question becomes
a drapery of waves.
The question becomes
a brain of fireflies.
The question becomes
a desiccation of leaves.
The question becomes
the time-lapse twitching of shrubbery in rain.
The question remains.Wim Coleman
Wim Coleman (he/him) is a playwright, poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer. His book of poetry, I.O.U., was published in 2020, and his “love ballad” The King and the Beggar Lady was published in 2022. Novels that he has co-authored with his wife, Pat Perrin, include Anna’s World, the Silver Medalist in the 2008 Moonbeam Awards, and The Jamais Vu Papers, a 2011 finalist for the Eric Hoffer/Montaigne Medal. His play The Harrowing was performed in New York in 2023 at Theater for the New City as part of its New City, New Blood Readings Series. His play The Mad Scene was awarded First Place in the Script category of the 91st Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. His play Shackles of Liberty was the winner of the 2016 Southern Playwrights Competition. Wim is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and PEN International, San Miguel Center. blog: playsonideas.com
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