If Not

for a certain slant of sun on the pinkening petals of the dogwood tree as the road curves to more blossoms...

If Not

for a certain slant of sun on the pinkening petals of the dogwood tree
as the road curves to more blossoms
and Woody Guthrie cattering about Pastures of Plenty
and for spring and golden golden pollen covering everything
as neighbors move trees and debris left by yesterday’s tornadoes
and the driver who slows so I can merge onto the highway
and the birds, everywhere the birds,
and for the baker who slips an extra cookie in the bag of the child
who presses their face against the cool glass of the case
and the child’s delight at finding that surprise moments later
and for my coffee being hot but not too hot and so delicious
and your hand near mine but not really touching
as we drive through Appalachian foothills,
if not for all this and the moon, now rising,
this world would hardly seem worth it.

Casey in flight. Photo by Matt Layne

---

Matt Layne writes…

If Not serves as a record of a perfect spring day when everything felt just right in the world: the sun, the sounds, the tastes, the smells, and the people; the people were all kind and thoughtful and gentle in their doings that day. It's so strange, this world, how one spring can feel so different than the previous. One year it is pink dogwood petals and blue ghost fireflies, and the next year we look back with longing only to find piles of salt where loved ones once stood. This spring in particular has been marred with personal losses and the ever-twisting tangled brambles of trouble for librarians working in red states.

In Alabama, the chair of our state library board has declared that any book describing or depicting nudity should be immediately moved without consideration into the adult sections of public libraries. It's a ridiculous and asinine edict. Books like "Ramona Quimby," "No, David!," "In the Night Kitchen," "The Hunger Games," and thousands of other titles fit his vague definition of "sexually explicit." The lack of curiosity and foresight demonstrated by the board that governs our state library is dumbfounding. If libraries comply with his assault on the First Amendment, then children will be forced to peruse books appropriate for their age next to books intended for adults. It's totally counterintuitive to what he claims to be attempting to achieve. Oh, Alabama, your politicians never fail to disappoint.

But back to If Not and these changing seasons: our lives shift with each given day. We gain and lose loved ones along the way, but certain constants keep me grounded: gathering with friends for food, fellowship, and poetry. Writing. Always writing. It's saved me on so many of my darkest nights. Traveling, and music. I hope as we enter this summer season you are able to find those things which bring you comfort, peace, and most of all, joy.

---

“If Not” appears in Miracle Strip, released August 31, 2022.

Miracle Strip, a poetry collection by Matt Layne, is a unique hybrid of the written and spoken word. Each piece of the collection has an end-stop embellishment QR code which, when scanned, transforms the reader into a listener. Layne has recorded each poem, often with the accompaniment of musician and poet, Ned Mudd. The first line of the book invites the reader to “tell me your story, and I will tell you mine,” in the campfire tradition. In Miracle Strip, the reader and poet embark on an experiential journey of memories and the ghosts who haunt us.

Miracle Strip by Matt Layne is in print! Get your copy today!

---

Poet, librarian, raconteur; Matt Layne has been poking hornet's nests and looking under rocks for lizards and snakes since he was knee-high to a peanut peg. His debut multimedia poetry collection, Miracle Strip, had been awarded the 2025 Alabama Author Award for Poetry and was named the 2024 Book of the Year by the Alabama State Poetry Society. Order your copy today.

---

If you enjoyed this post, please hit the ♡ to let us know.

If you have any thoughts about it, leave a comment.

If you think others would like it, hit re-stack or share:

If you’d like to read more:

And if you’d like to help create more Juke, upgrade to a paid subscription (same button above). Otherwise, you can always contribute a one-time donation via Paypal or Venmo.