Tonight’s poem comes to us from Gabrielle Langley, who wrote it in honor of her father’s 80th birthday. I really like the way Langley weaves formulae into her verses, two types of eloquence and elegance working together to create a whole, the experience of the poem entire.

This poem first appeared in Carmina Magazine, Fall Issue, 2021.

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Gabrielle Langley’s first book of poetry, Azaleas on Fire, was released in 2019. She has won the Lorene Pouncey Award, Houston Poetry Fest’s Jury Prize, and the Vivian Nellis Memorial Prize. With work appearing in a variety of literary journals, and three Pushcart prize nominations, Ms. Langley was also a spearhead and co-editor for the anthology Red Sky: Poetry on the global epidemic of violence against women (Sable Books – 2016). Additional information about this poet can be found at www.gabriellelangley.com.