Tryst Poet: James Lineberger

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James Lineberger is a professional playwright and screenwriter. He was
Playwright in Residence at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis for three seasons. His rock opera, THE SURVIVAL OF SAINT JOAN, was developed at the Buffalo Studio Arena, and the production transferred to Broadway. His screen adaptation for the Twentieth Century Fox film of the Devery Freeman novel FATHER SKY was filmed as TAPS. His poems have appeared in a number of print and online venues.

today in a summer that seems so much like spring

today in a summer that seems so much like spring
i watched through the vine covered
crape myrtles
as the sun went down on the old white park mill
empty now lo these many years
but with a dark glow like banked embers
in the painted-over basement windows
until with a sudden phantom urging
the flames rose swiftly from basement to roof
and the walls the very bricks seemed to disappear
in a shattering burst of light
and i held my breath wondering if there would ever be
such a season again
everything conspiring to let go, yet remain