Juan Pablo Mobili

They Thought They Were Angels

Those were the years when the Flying Panini Brothers
would soar onto the modest void of their small tent
holding a rose’s stem between their teeth like a bear carries her cubs

As imperfect as they were, they thought they were angels;
on the ground they were fallible creatures, but in mid-air
they felt holy, like hummingbirds God made with His own hands

Those were the years when young women came back from the prom
with their brand-new dresses ripped under their coats
after some holy boy dropped them off at their homes

You could see them driving away, drunk and laughing
down the street, and disappear into a darkness that would last
forever in the young girls’ hearts

Those were the years where all of God’s voices led us to silence
to admire men because they seemed to glide under the circus tent,
unimpeached by conscience or society under their tiny capes

and now they are beginning to fall one at a time
like the fruit of a misshapen tree that finally dies
like impostors with wings who thought they were angels.

The Poetry Box LIVE – March Edition

March 12, 2022 @ 4:00 PM (Pacific) / 7:00 PM (Eastern)

March Featured Poets:

Vivienne Popperl (OR) – author of A Nest in the Heart
Ann Farley (OR) – author of Tell Her Yes
Juan Pablo Mobili (NY) – author of Contraband

Enjoy a Video from the Show:

ABOUT THE POETS

Vivienne Popperl lives in Portland, Oregon. Her poems have appeared in Clackamas Literary Review, Timberline Review, Cirque, Rain Magazine, The Poeming Pigeon, and other publications. She won second place in the 2021 Kay Snow Award for Poetry by Willamette Writers. Her dream landscape is Provence, Southern France, but she considers the Pacific Northwest her home.

You can order Vivienne’s new book HERE

AuthorPhoto-Ann-Farley(cr.KevinFarley) — cr. Kevin Farley

Ann Farley, poet and caregiver, is happiest outdoors. She loves the beach, but she’s also enjoys an early morning walk in the park with her husband and dog. Her poems have appeared in Timberline Review, Willawaw Journal, Verseweavers, The Poeming Pigeon, KOSMOS Quarterly, RAIN Magazine, Gobshite Quarterly and others. Her poems have won first and third place in Oregon Poetry Association contests, and a third place Kay Snow Award for poetry. She lives in Beaverton, Oregon.

You can order Ann’s new chapbook HERE

uthorPhoto-JuanMobiili(byBuffyCardoza) — cr: Buffy Cardoza

Juan Pablo Mobili was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is an adopted son of the City of New York. The son of a teacher and a poet, his work tells the story of the joys and tragedies of a citizen of two countries, willing to face life head on.

His poems have appeared in The Worcester Review, The American Journal of Poetry, Mason Street Review, The Red Wheelbarrow Review, The Banyan Review, First Literary Review-East, New Feathers Anthology, and Spirit Fire Review, among many others.

In addition to that, one of his poems received Honorable Mention by the International Human Rights Art Festival for the Creators Justice Awards 2020, while others have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Best of the Net Anthology. He has also co-written a chapbook of poems in collaboration with Madalasa Mobili, titled Three Unknown Poets, which was published by Seranam Press.

If there’s a thread to his poems, is his lifelong intention to have poetry make the world a more hospitable place.

You can order Juan’s new chapbook HERE

“They Thought They Were Angels” by Juan Pablo Mobili

They Thought They Were Angels