Spencer Silverthorne
Winter 2025 | Poetry
Never Dance with Stephen Nedoroscik While Celine Dion Sings “Hymne à l'amour” from the Balcony of the Eiffel Tower
There should be a Forbes article
outlining my failures in securing
a ticket to Paris. Then, another one
about why I shouldn’t make a rash
decision about subscribing to Peacock.
As a matter of public record, the camera
faces the audience for free. The sound’s off.
Lady Gaga’s rehearsal is the main event.
What would Forbes say about mitigating
desire? I’m on the couch with someone
who wants my mouth marred with their
mark. On another screen, Dion braces
for a perseverance unseen in a child’s
pose. I follow Nedoroscik the next day
and recall my brief visit to State College.
I go to the past to craft the metonym
of all time. If only I could sing.
The gray skies make me underperform
amongst multiples of guys and batons.
We pass one another in five minutes
or less. How does one develop the trust
for a good grip? This is an honest
question; we all want to be the sleeper.
We want to shred the Forbes advice,
because really the trick is to be born
one. Hire the hyperbole and shift
a few steps in quick estimation.
It’s never about dancing.
We all hold our breaths to see
if Dion will hit it high. We know
there is an art worth remembering,
and there’s one you must not forget.
The only thing that matters is the view.
The best part lets us shed some tears.
Spencer Silverthorne is an assistant professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke where he teaches poetry, editing, and composition. His poetry and nonfiction have been published in Black Warrior Review, Blue Earth Review, Dialogist, Gigantic Sequins, Haymaker Literary Journal, Maudlin House, Pelican Brief, Sundog Lit, and others. He lives in Fayetteville, NC.