Constellations by Michael Estabrook

          Make the most of the time
          you have because
          you’ll never be here again.

Old man sitting on a bench in the soft sunlight anxiously waiting for his wife 

inside getting her physical therapy shoulder rehabilitation. He’s trying to 

write a poem about nothing in particular, watching the old ladies coming and 

going carrying their colorful yoga mats and exercise balls, hearing the faint 

whir of the building air-conditioners, feeling the breeze moving the hairs on 

his legs ever so slightly, the smell of fresh cut grass flinging him back 

decades to his summer job on the golf course watering the greens at night 

then lying on his back memorizing the constellations twinkling above billions 

of miles away.



Michael Estabrook has been publishing his poetry in the small press since the 1980s. He has published over 20 collections, a recent one being The Poet’s Curse: A Miscellany (The Poetry Box, 2019). He lives in Acton, Massachusetts.