‘Seminary’ by Paul Buchheit

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Seminary

Recalling days of vigor and simplicity,
of boyish spirits spun from neural gossamer
and hardened into granite by a panoply
of actors: scamps of nimble wit, a conjurer
of whimsy, lords of innocent irreverence.
Societies of soulmates lent the sacred halls
a mood Socratic, scholars bonded to evince
a prim solemnity, while gibes and caterwauls
assembled armor for the battles yet ahead.
Then springs succumbed to autumns, and the gauntlets, plates,
and shields were laid aside for laurels in their stead.
But hovering, like dreams, are worn facades: and fates
decree that labyrinths of old meander yet
in stony gatherings of graying silhouette.

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First published in The Lyric, Summer 2021.

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Paul Buchheit is an author of books, poems, essays, and scientific journal articles. He recently completed his first historical novel, 1871: Rivers on Fire.  He was a Laureates’ Choice prize winner in the 2022 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest.  His poetry has appeared in The Lyric, Lucid Rhythms, 2021 Poets & Patrons of Chicagoland annual contest,  2021 Illinois State Poetry Society Contest, Burningword, The Ledge, The Formalist, State of Nature, Illinois State Poetry Society, Chicago Poetry Review, and Light Quarterly.