Max Heinegg

Wayfinder

In Reykjavik

The mother of the goldsmith shows me the rune
beside the protective eye of awe
near the lava stone & silver necklaces
adorned by the carved teeth of whales.

She says, Here is the wayfinder
& puts it on so I may imagine
how it will look on you.

Along the walls, she has modeled
her son’s creations. In black & white,
a grandmother, still beautiful.

I hope this is where we will follow,
the way an older culture set
the symbol to stay in one place,
offering
something of the earth
that skill shaped, clasped
with a magnet to hold the rope, so
you will know where you are going
even when you don’t.

Max Heinegg is a poet, singer-songwriter, recording artist, editor, and literary critic. His previous collection, Good Harbor, won the inaugural Paul Nemser Prize from Lily Poetry Press. His second book of poems, Going Therre, came out in September 2023. Born in Cooperstown, NY, he lived in Schenectady, NY before moving to Medford, MA, where he has taught English in the Medford Public Schools for 25 years and is the co- founder and brewmaster of Medford Brewing Company. Connect with him on the web at www.maxheinegg.com

Al Ortolani

Stopped at the Gate

It is easy to forget we are fragile
without skullcaps, without sweaters,
without television to tell the stories
          that warm us.

In the snow I pee a sketch
like a boy. It is a refugee’s boat, medieval,
with a shallow prow, and beside
          the single mast

the dribble of all that can be saved
in a shipwreck. All that freezes
in deep cold. All that melts
          when it thaws.

There’s a rumor that Jesus
could walk on water, right through
these walls, your iron gate
          a mirage of fish.

Al Ortolani’s poetry has appeared in journals such as Rattle, New York Quarterly, Prairie Schooner, One Art Poetry Journal, Main Street Rag, Chiron Review, and many others. His most recent poetry collection is The Taco Boat, published by New York Quarterly Books in 2022. His first novel Bull in the Ring will soon be released by Meadowlark Books in Emporia, Kansas. He currently lives in the Kansas City area with his wife and brilliant dog, Stanley.