Crystal Simone Smith
Midlife Explorations
Having more than enough does not quell the urge to purchase another cozy chair. One in this year’s popular healing green that glides. A nearly perfect fixture that soothes the aging mind far better than potions. You did your best with the little means you secured. You gave the world your brightest glare every time. Rest is more than a soft chair. It is permission to sit with all your onuses and omissions, and say plainly, it is well with my soul.
shape shifting
a plane crosses
the moon
About the Author
Crystal Simone Smith is an award-winning poet, indie-publisher, and educator. Her books include Runagate: Songs of the Freedom Bound (Duke University Press, 2025) and Dark Testament (Henry Holt, 2023). Her haiku collection Ebbing Shore won a 2022 Touchstone Distinguished Book Award. She teaches in the Thompson Writing Program at Duke University and writes about the human condition and social change.