By now, the paper is yellowed with age 

with words written in faded ink, 

of different colours, at different times; 

sentences running this way and that,

like chicken scratches etched in time. 

The author’s name is no longer legible,

but what can be seen is forceful, signed 

with a flourish and high sense of purpose:

As if the sands of time had run out, along with 

the author’s life, by the end of the page.  

John RC Potter is an international educator from Canada who lives in Istanbul.  He has experienced a revolution (Indonesia), air strikes (Israel), earthquakes (Turkey), boredom (UAE), and blinding snow blizzards (Canada), the last being the subject of his story, ‘Snowbound in the House of God’ (Memoirist). The author’s poems, stories, essays, articles, and reviews have been published in various magazines and journals. His story, ‘Ruth’s World’ was a Pushcart Prize nominee, and his poem, ‘Tomato Heart’ was nominated for the Best of the Net Award. The author’s gay-themed children’s picture book, The First Adventures of Walli and Magoo, is scheduled for publication. He enjoys duties as the editor of the online journal Masticadores Istanbul.