My Father’s Room 

My mother moved his bed 
and his frail body 
into the sunniest chamber in the house: 
the piano room, 
with its fading memories of me 
practicing Chopin and Handel. 
The rehearsal room: a rectangle 
free of chatter, clutter and smoke. 
He was learning to let go 
of friends, of cigarettes, 
of stashes of hammers and screwdrivers, 
of the juicy steaks he loved to devour. 
Life is largely about acquiring skills. 
And so is dying and death. 

AUSTIN ALEXIS

Austin Alexis is the author of Privacy Issues (Broadside Lotus Press) and two chapbooks from Poets Wear Prada. His poetry and fiction have appeared in Barrow Street, The Journal, The Pedestal Magazine, Flash Boulevard, Dash, and elsewhere. He has taught at The College of New Rochelle and at Empire State College.