Background: Matthew Moser Miller has been consumed his desire to express himself through poetry since he was first given an in-depth introduction to poetry in middle school. After using poetry as a means of dealing with emotions throughout high school, Matthew attended the John Reynolds' Young Writers Workshop at Denison University. This experience transformed his view of poetry as an art form and helped him to transition from a style heavily influence by classical poetry into a more modern writing style. Now 18 and a high school senior, Matthew plans to pursue undergraduate degrees in both history and English and remains undecided as to which of these loves will become his vocation in academia. Anyone wishing to contact Matthew can reach him at mattmm87@aol.com with a subject line of "poetical journeys comments".

A Poet’s Day Peddling His Soul

This cold clientele glances critically,
commercially;
weighing facts and figures
as we sell our pound of flesh.
Our spirits are inventory;
purchasers pander and barter
in a simple business deal,
a bargaining, a self-ish sale;
old Faust laid out the plan.

 I never got used to it:
someone owning a part of me,
owning me;
thieving the living and breathing part;
beating heart-
palpitating heaps of flesh
steaming, billowing misty-red
with the scent of copper-salt and shame.
Leave me the viscera? All I have left
are the bones of my soul;
I’d prefer something more to be buried. 

The soul is stolen, purchased, paid for-
cash or credit? Plastic, please.
Plastic pleas
reverberating through the artist’s
rent and rented-out insides;
the sloughed-off memory and soul
put down in ink:
anything’s for sale.
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