Hats Off To The Fan Poem by Richard G Berg

Coming inside from July's lazy haze
Meeting the singular in serious
Space, doubt-permitting dark, a surprise fan
Placeless on a pew's ledge. Cooling someone

No longer. Plain, wooden. Shut tight. Ready.
A couple's names inscribed, their day's vowed date
Misting in the closeness of confession
Boxes, grey statues, domes unreachable.

One man smudges summer's tattoo. His hat
Placed behind him, now unable to trap
Commanded energy beneath the brim.
One girl sits against marble, hands harder

Than an old priest's no, veining her bent brow.
Touristic parents laugh their family
Away from the church's waning candles
Whilst a young girl's smile baits August's sermon



Richard G Berg
July 2025