Oars at Rest

Sam Aureli

Mist hangs like a soft veil

over the lake, and I am not here

to wake the silence.

Dreams rise like breath,

thin, flickering in morning light.

The boat rests, held by the water,

motionless as a thought.

I could row—shatter the glass—

or remain, letting the world lie as it is.

A shadow passes through a stillness

older than speech;

beneath it all, the lake holds me.

Published in Issue No. 12, Somnia et Charta, October 1st, 2025.

Sam Aureli is a design and construction professional, originally from Italy, now calling the Boston area home. A first-generation college graduate, he’s spent decades immersed in concrete and steel. Poetry is what truly feeds his soul these days. With retirement still a decade away, Sam balances the grind of his day job with the refuge he finds in writing. His work has appeared in The Atlanta Review, West Trade Review, Chestnut Review, and other journals.