...
On the first day
of our class trip in 4th grade,
I fell of a dumpster
(don’t ask!) & sprained
my right foot. Being
unable to walk for a longer stretch,
I spent most of the time
the others went frolicking around
the island reading “Return to
Treasure Island” or just
staring at the wooden ceiling.
There were many friendly faces to
meet & greet. Or I would just follow
the lines of the grain pattern,
leading me deeper & deeper into
its maze, until it almost felt like
my spirit would leave my body
& I would finally fall asleep.
...
Oliver Kleyer is a teacher and poet from Northern Germany. He teaches German as a Second Language in a refugee camp. He writes in German and English. His works have appeared in The Zinnia Journal, Academy of the Heart & Mind and Flow Magazine as well as in anthologies like FromOneLine to another or Dadakuku 2.
His poem "A rambling meditation", published in Raw Lit" was nominated for "Best of the Net 2025". Find him at @funnyfrogget.bsky.social