brother charles


should a man wear a smock if not an artisan

walking alone with his spirits feeling

their affectionate regard his shoulders

draped with the black flag of freedom

wise to keep distance from the innkeepers

and townsfolk wishers of ill


should a man wear a large bow tie if he sings

every day in a thrilling voice would he look absurd

in the midst of greatness however briefly

of the bourgeoisie waxing eloquent in a space

of vermillion or possibly amaranth


daguerreotype image ambiguous showing

frustration or pique willing in spite of all

to live in his own times helpful to others

to me certainly in my fragmentation 

my dislocation any brief refuge any respite

from the runaway omnibus


i remember brother charles

and the other brother charles

the teacher opening wide his arms to the

singer the francophone buddhist

nostalgic for salad days at the sorbonne

his reading list dragging behind him


not to forget brother charles the trumpeter 

the messenger the bike enthusiast

who filled his bottle as a boy emptying 

a thousand as a bearded man who

now has gone hence in his winding sheet

hand in hand with psychopomp


where is the bygone man who would beat

another on the street for what had been written

and as the beaten one staggered on

disgusted women would gather their skirts

and spit with contempt fearful of the threat

to polite society and with good reason


yes the silence of my dreams is real

the thrilling voice hallucination

charles my brother gave me

tones of gray for consolation

and raised for me a temple

in the midst of desolation

wisest of brothers stretching forth

a hand in loving valediction

w v sutra was born in Africa and raised in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, borne hither and thither on the surging tides of cold war and soft power. He has been at various times a rock musician, a public health professional, and an educator. He began writing poetry during the Covid-19 lockdown. His work can be found in various online journals and at wvsutra.com . He lives and works on a horse farm on the shoulders of the Holston Mountains in East Tennessee. Twitter @w_v_sutra