SAM AURELI

SPRING ISSUE #12 POET

Sam Aureli thrives on working with his hands, a passion rooted in his early blue-collar roles. Balancing work and family, he earned a degree in architecture through evening classes and now leads a career in real estate development. Aureli turned to poetry later in his journey as a refuge from the chaos of daily life and as a way to deepen his connection to nature. His work has recently been accepted in The Atlanta Review. Learn more at samaureli.substack.com.

ON LIVING

Not the summit,

but the slope—the grit underfoot,

where ferns clutch crevices,

their small green gestures of patience.

I stop where a rock wobbles,

let my breath find the pace of trees,

the silent, unhurried life of moss.

Here, each step unspools its own weight,

not chasing, not held by anything more

than the next steady press of earth.