Black in a black mirror—
the glass panther.
Even if you do not dream—
the glass panther.
On top of the Philco radio,
in front of the rabbit ears—
the glass panther.
The credenza,
the barcalounger,
the Formica table,
the orange vinyl barstool,
the chrome bar caddy,
matching martini shaker,
the Sputnik lamp—
the glass panther.
A puddle of India ink
on a white patio floor.
Rousseau moonlight,
the bullet-shaped planter,
plastic spear-shaped leaves,
Sky King pedal plane,
the ancient starlight
in the rhinestone eyes
of the glass panther.
RICHARD GARCIA is the author of Rancho Notorious and The Persistence of Objects, both from BOA Editions. His poems have appeared in The Georgia Review, Ploughshares, and several anthologies. The Other Odyssey, poetry, from Dream Horse Press, was published in the spring of 2014. A collection of prose poems, The Chair, was published by BOA Editions in September 2014.
