JOHN M. DAVIS
time travel
my father had a habit of saying
don’t let the past rest
don’t let it drag on you
like some block and tackle
ball and chain.
you can change it
from here on
a past is possible.
take hold of time.
mind it. mine it. mend it.
make one thing, one line
go straight; dismiss the rest.
hammer it smooth and straight.
strop it.
point it in a direction
honorable and true:
a future, too, is possible.
you can do this
all your life.
JOHN M. DAVIS lives in Visalia, California, where he teaches at The College of the Sequoias. His work has appeared in numerous journals, including The Comstock Review, Curating Alexandria, Silk Road, Reunion: The Dallas Review, Bloodroot Literary Magazine, West Trade Review. "The Mojave", a chapbook, was published by the Dallas Community Poets.