Little Leaf Literary Journal

by Ed Ruzicka

A barn swallow
          cuts the sky apart
          in intricate patterns
          with the ease of scissors
Swimming through paper
          as Matisse 
          worked his magic.
          Imagine how much grace
Lay littered
          on that floor
          for him to 
          roll over
With a blanket covering his legs
In his indomitable wheelchair.

Ed Ruzicka’s third book of poems, Squalls, was released in March 2024. Ed’s poems have appeared in Atlanta Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, Rattle, Canary, and many other literary publications. Ed, who is also the president of the Poetry Society of Louisiana, lives with his wife, Renee, in Baton Rouge.