Self-Portrait by Richard Luftig

Self-Portrait

Richard Luftig

He has been to most
of the wonders of the world;
Grand Canyon, Eifel Tower,
The Great Wall, and seen

none, his back to them all.
Here at the Islands,
in shorts, Hawaiian shirt
and a lei, and this one

on top of a gorge at Yosemite,
out on a ledge in a cowboy hat
a jaunty look on his face,
flirting with death as he edges

ever back so his camera can get
a better view of the canyon
six-thousand feet below.
And not just places

but animals too: the panda
in the National Zoo,
tigers from Circus World,
Alligators at Swamp-O-Rama,

Even the herd of llamas
from the alpaca farm,
me at Machi Pichu
me at the Pyramids

all downloaded
some where he hopes
at least ten people
will give him a like.

And he never knowing
all he’s missed unless
he shows up uninvited on
someone else’s video.


About the Author

Richard Luftig is a former professor of educational psychology and special education at Miami University in Ohio, now residing in California. He is a recipient of the Cincinnati Post-Corbett Foundation Award for Literature and a semi-finalist for the Emily Dickinson Society Award. His poems have appeared in numerous literary journals in the United States and internationally in Japan, Canada, Australia, Europe, Thailand, Hong Kong and India.