Rice Pudding at High Altitude by j. archer avary

one symptom of
altitude sickness
could be euphoria

that feeling when
young lovers kiss
and flee on skateboards
the ancient city a theatre
infinite storylines unfolding
as the fingers turn blue

what sticks with me most
is the vendor’s weathered face
a ladle of warm rice pudding
those styrofoam bowls
my blue-blooded heart palpitates

when does that feeling
of lightheaded clarity
become the default?

so much of modern life
depends on repetition
it almost resembles death
crouched like a puma

J. Archer Avary

 (he/him) came of age in the American midwest. He rode the magic carpet of television journalism across the US and to the Caribbean where he became a champion lionfish hunter. He quit TV in 2019 and moved to Guernsey with his wife. His poetry/prose has appeared in Bright Flash Literary Review, The Beatnik Cowboy, Ariel Chart, The Daily Drunk, and Rye Whiskey Review.