Three Poems on Jeffrey Braverman Photos, by M. J. Arcangelini

Untitled, from Unsuited, photography by Jeffrey Braverman (USA) contemporary

Tying One On

It’s not just a tie, it needs to be a
statement, carefully composed,
like a piece of music, a piano trio,
a be-bop jazz group improvising
in a late night club where the
clientele are starting to move on
not knowing what they’re about
to miss, what these three will get
up to once everything is in its place
and they can start taking it all apart.

​

Untitled, from Unsuited, photography by Jeffrey Braverman (USA) contemporary

Ascent

Where does he take it from here?
Where is there to go from halfway up
except to the top, and then what?
Down the ladder and back up again?
Sisyphean without the stone.
Perhaps the stone resides within,
self-generating motivation rather
than the random will of a bored deity.
Perhaps what he pushes is himself,
endless ascension into an empty sky.

​

Untitled, from Unsuited, photography by Jeffrey Braverman (USA) contemporary

The Orchard Ladder

Mountains crouch in the distance.
A wide-ranging orchard stretches 
toward the foreground crowding
out any other feature of landscape.
The man in a dark suit, white hat,
stands facing away. His gaze appears
to be fixated on a tall three-legged
orchard ladder left open in the middle
of a field. If he climbed to the top, right
now, would the wind carry him away?

​M.J. Arcangelini

M.J. (Michael Joseph) Arcangelini, born 1952 in western Pennsylvania, has resided in northern California since 1979. He began writing poetry at 11. He has published in a lot of little magazines, online journals, & over a dozen anthologies.  He is the author of five collections: With Fingers at the Tips of My Words, 2002  (Beautiful Dreamer Press), Room Enough, 2016, Waiting for the Wind to Rise, 2018, both from NightBallet Press, What the Night Keeps, 2019 (Stubborn Mule Press), and A Quiet Ghost, 2020 (Luchador Press.) In 2018 Arcangelini was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Jeffrey Braverman is a San Francisco-based visual storyteller. He began his career as a photo-journalist and he’s still capturing emotions, moments and struggles as he tries to interpret humanity through his own personal lens. Jeffrey’s work exposes people to unique ideas and concepts that can impact a different perspective on the world. You can view more of his work here: www.JeffreyBraverman.com