Alternative to Truth
I still could not quite reach reality so I said to the
ladder's owner, Show me. Then the moon was
melting on my tongue so I said, Be my favorite
flavor – stay. Until partitioned, segregated into
sentences, my words were neither true nor false and
when I asked you to forgive me you said, Forgive
you for what?

Heikki Huotari is a retired professor of mathematics. In a past century, he attended a one-room country school and spent summers on a forest-fire lookout tower. His poems have appeared in journals such as Poetry Northwest and Crazyhorse. His first chapbook was recently published by the Finishing Line Press.