Still Life of a Shadow on “Paradise Lost”
It begins a line and grows
diffuse into the text,
“goodness beyond thought.”
And the paper is yellowed
because this book is old
and purchased for less,
making the rendering of a curve
into a dissertation on saturation
in the winter light
emerging from the left.
What is not relevant for this world,
what is lost in the exigencies
of New York City.
The darkest point
strikes just below “Power Divine,”
Milton persevering to be beautiful still.
Matthew Wollin is a writer and filmmaker as well as a practicing lawyer. His 2019 debut feature as writer/director, The Skin of the Teeth, was described by critics as both "Get Out meets Grindr" and "David Lynch directs an episode of Law & Order: SVU.” His writing can be found published or forthcoming in Del Sol SFF Review, Lammergeier, and Juked, among others, and his legal work focuses on issues of antidiscrimination and constitutional law. You can find him on Instagram @matthewwollin.