Lana Hechtman Ayers on Poets Cafe

The following interview of Lana Hechtman Ayers by Lois P. Jones originally aired on KPFK Los Angeles (reproduced with permission).

Biographical Information—Lana Hechtman Ayers

Lana Hechtman Ayers lives near Seattle with her husband and several monochromatic pets. Her numerous occupations include manuscript organization, writing workshop facilitation, small press publishing and editorial consulting for Crab Creek Review. She has authored six poetry collections to date, the most recent of which is Four Quarters (World Enough Writers, 2013), an homage to T.S. Eliot. Lana also writes speculative short stories and novels.

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The Dead Boy Visits the Hayden Planetarium

poem for my brother, Alan Hechtman (1956–2010),
after he visited me in a dream

which surprises me because
my brother’s funeral
was just a few days ago

Tonight he is here for
The Beatles Laser Light Show
and so am I
and we are both alone

He is a few rows ahead of me
I don’t know it in the psychedelic bliss
until the show ends with Let it Be
and the house lights come on

The dead boy’s hair
is back to its slick black fullness
his skin is blush again

Hello I call
My brother turns
His eyes are glassy

You are here too, my brother says
as if it is nothing to meet like this
in a dream of Manhattan

Where are Meryl and the boys? I say
But the dead boy ignores me

He says, I remember I saw this show
thirty years ago
thought I’d see it
one last time

How ‘bout we get some coffee? I say

No, it’s late
I have to get back, my brother says

Back where? I say
not wanting the real answer

The dead boy shakes his head
half-laughs, half-coughs
steps out the door
to the stone walkway

where I know
he’s already become
moonlight