William Cullen Jr.

Rapture

As the moon crosses the sun
fireflies briefly appear
like souls set free
from the dark earth.

Tanka

A hawk skims the trees
as a squirrel’s mad dash through the oaks
shakes loose yellow leaves
marking its escape down the block
one step ahead of the night.

William Cullen, Jr., a veteran who works at a non-profit in New York City,. has had his poetry appear in Camroc Press Review, Christian Science Monitor, Gulf Stream, Right Hand Pointing, Spillway, and Word Riot.