by James B. Nicola
In search of the sublime, I read the book
you wrote. In search of peace I read it twice.
In search again of excellence I took
a walk with you and listened to advice.
In search of peace I lingered by the brook,
removed, like you, my footwear. In search of
I don’t know what, you turned my face to look
at you. But it was not in search of love
I did as you and what you asked me to
and waded barefoot in the waters while
the moon appeared, ascending behind you.
That huntress—chaste, divine, and free of guile—
shone cool as those clear waters and your smile;
and all three showed me that my search was through.
James B. Nicola, a returning contributor, is the author of six collections of poetry, the latest being Fires of Heaven: Poems of Faith and Sense. His decades of working in the theater culminated in the nonfiction book Playing the Audience: The Practical Guide to Live Performance, which won a Choice award.
“The Search” was previously published by the journal “Poem.”