MATTHEW J. ANDREWS

Matthew J. Andrews is a private investigator and writer who lives in Modesto, California. In addition to Solum Journal, his poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in EcoTheo, Orange Blossom Review, Sojourners, Amethyst Review, and Saint Katherine Review, among others. His debut chapbook, I Close My Eyes and I Almost Remember, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. He can be contacted at matthewjandrews.com and https://twitter.com/2glassandrews.

PETER GOES FISHING ON THE SEA OF TIBERIAS

The fishing is hard with the constant

lapping of rooster crows at the boat,

the trawler weighed down with dredged feathers.

Peter watches the shoreline, thinks about how

the rocks are just sand not yet subjected 

to the eroding forces of the soul,

about how the land is just a vacuum 

not yet filled by water. On the beach

there is a fire burning with smoke

signals rising in pillars, a man

crouched beside it, the morning sun

reflecting off the sword at his side.

Peter knows the man, has always

known the man, as if the moth

could ever forget the roar of the flame.

He steps over the side, places the weight

of his feet on the water, and walks to shore,

buoyant, weightless. The sword unsheathes

and summons by name. He closes his eyes,

feels the steel at his neck, determined,

for once, to be faithful to something. 

Read more of Matt’s work in Solum Journal Volume I.

Listen to our interview with Matt on Solum Podcast.