Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. This week’s featured poet is Terry Loncaric.
Loncaric lives in Hampshire, Illinois. She said she has three lives: a poet, a journalist, and an educator. And these lives collide through her poetry. Loncaric wrote two poetry books, “Crashing in Velvet” for Finishing Line Press, and most recently, “Poetry in an Age of Panic” for Kelsay Books. She also hosts a monthly open-mic of original songs and poetry at Stage Left Cafe in Woodstock.
Here’s her poem “On the Same Path.”
On a path with strangers,
seashell pink paints the horizon.
An elderly man, his son with down syndrome
hold hands, content in their silence.
A young man and woman
share a warm kiss
inside the cool shadows of the forest.
Two brisk walkers
exchange furtive glances
as they speed through
secrets & gossip.
We know nothing of one another,
yet we share a moment
in the rich depth of these woods
and their delicate ecosystems.
No hummingbirds today,
just a father and son
communicating in a way
their intellects would never allow.
A community of strangers
on a path to nowhere,
imposing footprints
on a path to everywhere.
--Terry Loncaric
