Michael Meyerhofer
The Problem with Being
a mountain is that
everyone stares at you,
wants to take your picture
even when you’re
sleeping. Most touch you
without permission,
some even hammer long
shanks of metal
between the dark swirls
of your skin. I know
what I’m talking about
despite not being a mountain
though in fairness I tried
many years ago
to learn their tongue,
couldn’t get past
how much their alphabet
sounds less like gravel
than rain on a frozen lake.
Michael Meyerhofer's fifth poetry book, Ragged Eden, was published by Glass Lyre Press. He has been the recipient of the James Wright Poetry Award, the Liam Rector First Book Award, the Brick Road Poetry Book Prize, and other honors. His work has appeared in Southern Review, Ploughshares, Rattle, Hayden's Ferry, Gargoyle Magazine, River Styx, Missouri Review, and other journals. He is also the author of a fantasy series and the Poetry Editor of Atticus Review. For more information and an embarrassing childhood photo, visit www.troublewithhammers.com.