1 Poem by Rodger Martin

Flowering Tea

Jasmine, lotus, amaranth unfurling,    
dancers within their universe of glass   
and steaming water, reborn as sterling
gifts for patient ones.   Small bubbles are kin;
breaths, in slow-release, ascend—globes within      
a globe.  The tea steeps, a worn traveler’s pass  
to an oasis hidden in silence,  
green among dunes.  It gives solace, fragrance,
rest. Each night the galaxy, a wedding  
band of gemstones, arcs upon the broad ring   
of the cloudless sky—true union of fates 
awaiting those balanced enough to wait.     
Slow down.  SLOW down—ignore a priori,   
Taste the buds and listen to their story.         


Bionote

Rodger Martin’s third poetry volume, The Battlefield Guide , (Hobblebush) uses locations on battlefields of the Civil War to reflect upon America today. Small Press Review selected The Blue Moon Series (Hobblebush), as its bi-monthly pick of the year.  A translation of his work, On The Monadnock, appeared in China in 2006.    He received an Appalachia poetry award, a N.H. Council on the Arts Fiction Fellowship, and fellowships from The National Endowment for the Humanities.  In 2012 he was chosen as poet to represent the U.S. at Hangzhou, China’s annual international cultural festival.  He serves as co-editor for The Granite State Poetry Series and teaches journalism at Keene State College.