Ars Poetica

Matthew Sisson

January 30, 2022

I squeegee the inside of my shower door 

before getting out to towel off. At first 

I produced the usual squeaks and squealings, 

the squeegeeweegings everyone knows. Now 

the door is my violin, the squeegee my violin 

bow. With short strokes, the chirp of cicadas, 

and the cawing of crows. Locked up brakes 

and tires on gridlocked urban roads. Clockwise 

I play the Gregorian chant of cloistered Gregorian 

monks. With counter—the soulful sounds of 60’s 

Motown Funk. I have mastered my art—paid my 

dues. After years of standing naked and sneezing. 

Years of my life, naked and freezing.

Matthew Sisson’s poetry has appeared in journals ranging from the “Harvard Review Online,” to “JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association.” He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and read his work on NPR’s “On Point.” His first book, “Please, Call Me Moby,” was published by the Pecan Grove Press, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas.