Who are these determined apes,
who endure
the cries of cracked bones
and vertigo,
which precede the treetops?
Treetops where these apes
reach and grasp
and check their fingertips to see
if maybe
they’d grazed the halo.
They don’t yet realize,
yet still they reach
—unapologetically—
up toward the twinkle
which precedes the dawn
“Daniel J. Nickolas” is the thinly veiled pseudonym for a bookseller at Powell’s on Hawthorne, where he is the (self-appointed, unofficial) head of the science and mathematics sections. One of Daniel’s personal goals as a bookseller, and writer, is to help science-curious individuals unearth their passion for the sciences–a passion he believers every human, consciously or not, holds. He has previously published with The Pacific Sentinel, Pathos Literary Magazine, and The Clackamas Literary Review. You can find more writing by Daniel at danieljnickolas@wordpress.com.