The Imaginal Stage

turns out
there are more planets than stars
more places to land
than to be burned

I have always been in love with
last chances especially
now that they really do
seem like last chances

the trill of it all upending
what’s left of my head
after we explode

are you ready to ascend
in the morning I will take you
on the wing

Originally published in Poem-a-Day (March 28, 2019), Academy
of American Poets. Reprinted by permission of the author.

D. A. Powell’s most recent books include Repast (2014) and Useless Landscape, or A Guide for Boys (2012). He is the 2019 recipient of the John Updike Award from the Academy of American Arts & Letters, and lives in San Francisco.