Flying Island

Editor's Note : May 17 is Norway Constitution Day Leirvik Oysters by Chandy John Thick algae-green shell Delicate pattern, unyielding mouth Cracked open with force and skill Yields slimy, salty, repellent joy Nose, mouth, tongue Inhale The western Norway coast Remains in stomach memory From Chandy John: “I'm a a pediatrician, researcher and author whose prose, poems and fiction have been published in Sojourners, Phantasmagoria, JAMA, The Pharos, Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine and The Michigan Alumnus. I live and work in Indiana, Kenya and Uganda.”

Home by Chandy John You fool yourself into thinking That the place is yours You possess the land and time The little restaurant on the corner Where the ladies smile at you The eight minute drive to the airport The bookstore owned by the local author The time, the space, the clear blue skies The sweet fall air The blush of purple on the bluffs at sunset But when you betray it by moving on All of it moves on as well As if you were never there   From Chandy John: I am a a pediatrician, researcher and author whose prose, poems and fiction have been published in Sojourners, Phantasmagoria, JAMA, The Pharos, Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine and The Michigan Alumnus. I live and work in Indiana, Kenya and Uganda.