A Poem that Refuses a Name Part 2
As I sit back and write
About the dying of the light
I see my friends all put a bullet
in their heads, and I am
wondering if I am next?
Reacting to Pain
like an impulse traveling through time
through unmyelinated neurons
rapture
capture
rupture
arterioles in the palm of the eye
confound
pound
moments and grace
knowing that the reaction is not right
like moon that floats
against a concrete ocean of hydrogen bonds
that refuse to give an inch
to body that refuses to pierce an inch
the conformities of angular decay
as the arc is past the apex
and the mind refuses to give in
to the pain
caused by the angels of death
in the middle of the night
that curse your name
“A Poem That Refuses a Name Part 2” Bombay Gin Vol. 48 (Kavyayantra Press, Winter 2024/2025).
Enrique Gautier is a BIPOC veteran, poet, educator, photographer, and community advocate whose work bridges the worlds of justice, storytelling, and healing. A Navy veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, he now serves as full-time English faculty at Red Rocks Community College and teaches cultural competency at the college’s Law Enforcement Academy. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University, a JD, and a BS in Biology, and was selected for the Lighthouse Writers Workshop Poetry Collective. His debut poetry collection—praised for its formal innovation—is currently under national award consideration. Gautier’s work has appeared in Bombay Gin, The War Horse, The Warrior Poet, and Veterans Life Magazine, with recent exhibitions at the Colorado Photography Art Center and Aurora City Hall. Enrique is the recipient of this year’s Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop Lit Fest Veteran fellowship, with judge Benjamin Hertwig praising his “formal dexterity and linguistic vigor” that “harnesses a controlled momentum that forces the reader to sit still and reckon with the irreconcilable.” He serves as Senior Vice Commander of VFW Post 1, where he leads trauma-informed writing workshops for veterans, and was recently named the inaugural judge for Poppy Press’ chapbook competition for veteran poets. His teaching is rooted in “informed care pedagogy,” centering equity, lived experience, and creative expression.