God's Acre
CJ Maruyama
In cerulean skies,
I stand alone
with granite relics—
familiar angels
engraved upon stone.
I peer above,
to where the jay rests
in songs of oak—
& from the bough, a screech
owl glides out,
above the ravens
that tend the grounds
& offer collected bones
to their guests.
In cerulean skies,
tears meet vale.
Below my heels,
lives a satin grass—beneath which,
these angels,
laid to rest, soar!
Soar, far beyond
my sight.
CJ Maruyama
CJ Maruyama is a writer based in Portland, Oregon. He writes poetry and fiction, ranging from humorous to visceral to transcendentalist. CJ has a BA from Occidental College, studies at PCC, and is enrolled in Portland State’s Creative Writing MFA program beginning Fall 2023. His poetry features in Letter & Line Magazine and will be in the next issue of Alchemy Literary Magazine. In his free time, CJ hikes, snowboards, and explores breweries with his wife, Erin,and their Siberian Husky, Kira.