A Syllable
by Jack Hernandez








He always wanted
to be part
of something larger,
a sleek noun
or nimble verb
within a sentence,
a dependent clause
would be even more.
 
His yearning grew
to be part
of a passionate paragraph,
a come hither introduction
or logical conclusion
that would join him
with a weighty narrative
where all the words
weave a community
making daily sense.
 
Yet this earthly ease
gave way
to an emerging desire
to simply be a syllable
in an ancient haiku
seeking transcendence,
its notes low and high
rising rising together
in lyrical air.