Max Gutmann

A Letter Home 

One flat fall evening, as an undergrad,
I left the library to mail a letter
and at the mailbox had
a stirring–I don't know what else to call it, 
but I felt certain, drifting back 
on brittle leaves, surrounded by the gray, 
this was my life–a feeling new,
whole, deeply and vibratingly unstrange. 

Back at the carrel, where my books still lay,
I sat some time immersed there in that moment: 
me, having walked away
from books for some slight, distant human contact, 
returning through the coming winter
to my small space. It struck me as both sad
and right; young as I was, I knew
it wasn't something I would ever change. 

Max Gutmann has contributed to dozens of publications including New Statesman, Able Muse, and Cricket. His plays have appeared throughout the U.S. and have been well-reviewed (see maxgutmann.com). His book There Was a Young Girl from Verona sold several copies.