Live Encounters Poetry & Writing July 2026
Shards of Glass, poems by Michael Minassian.
Shards of Glass
My friend, the pilot,
never talked much
about his time
in Iraq or Afghanistan,
preferring to write
long rambling poems
about injustice,
immigration, and voting rights.
Someday, he says, you and I
will march shoulder to shoulder,
filling the streets with words,
as sharp as shards of glass.
For a moment we share
the vision before
clutching in a bear hug,
grizzly-like in its attention.
The last time I saw him
he was reading a poem,
glasses perched
on the end of his nose,
military patches
on his jacket,
his words exploding
like streaming bombs.
Crying in the Whole Foods Store
When I was having lunch
at the Whole Foods store,
I saw a young black man
at a corner table
with his head down,
shoulders shaking,
tears salting his coffee.
Sadness knows many forms
and even more reasons to be.
None of the other customers
said anything or glanced his way,
but I couldn’t look away,
glad he didn’t lift his head
and catch me staring.
Sadness knows many forms
and even more reasons to be.
I finished my lunch
then left the café
and took one last look—
his head still down,
his neck bent like a bird
poised to lift up and break
into a song of lament.
Sadness knows many forms
and even more reasons to be.
© Michael Minassian
Michael Minassian is a Contributing Editor for Verse-Virtual, an online poetry journal. His poetry collections Time is Not a River, Morning Calm, A Matter of Timing, Jack Pays a Visit, and 1000 Pieces of Time are all available on Amazon. For more information: https://michaelminassian.com
Thank you poet. Sadness knows many forms. Sometimes it crashes through into an ordinary day. Beautiful poems.
The final lines of Shards of Glass are especially powerful!