Image: Charnaux Frères & Cie., Grindelwald. Grotte de Glace, about 1880-1890.

Thomas Rions-Maehren ( CASTLE ROCK

I could disappear
and those snowy peaks sawing away at the horizon,
eroding the line between what is and what is not,
wouldn’t even notice. Soon,

I will be home,
hundreds of miles from here,
and those frosty giants could vanish,
simply melt into a prairie, golden with cold flame.
I wouldn’t even notice.

Soon, I will be
home
to my own glacial plain.
I mean, I hope so. I caught a break and found a ride,

but how can anyone be certain?

Afterall, plans have a funny way
of changing,
and minds have a funny way of thinking

when you’re seeing your life
through the smoke
of a smoldering engine somewhere outside of Castle Rock.

Thomas Rions-Maehren is a bilingual poet, novelist, and chemist who explores the dark places of human experience with humor, science, and (at times) tranquility and wisdom. His scientific research has been published in ACS Nano, and examples of his Spanish-language prose can be found in his published short stories and in his novel En las Manos de Satanás (Ápeiron Ediciones, 2022). More of his poetry in both languages can be found in a number of journals, such as The Elevation and Pensive, at his blog (tommaehrenpoetry.blogspot.com), and at his website (thomasrionsmaehren.com). He is on X and Instagram @MaehrenTom.