At Least Medium

At Least Medium James Stemmle (bio) I have an automatic answerthat comes out involuntarilyin response to the question, How are you? At least medium.But it's no longer true. I amsuffering from spinal stenosis. I walk in pain. And I wonderwill there come a day whentruth must come out. Until then I'll force a smile andanswer at least mediumbecause they don't really want to know and I have asocial contract that forbidstoo much information, too much truth. [End Page 106] James Stemmle James Stemmle is an old man, currently living retirement in WV with his wife of 58 years. In warm weather, he writes poetry during morning meditations on a bench in his backyard, where, immersed in nature, it is so quiet that, depending on atmospheric conditions, he can sometimes hear interstate traffic four miles distant. He had a Federal Government career mostly with EPA, earned a doctorate from Catholic U in Chemistry, and was born in Louisville, KY. He is eager to share more of his accumulating poetry. He has published 27 poems so far in several small literary magazines including The Octillo Review, Evening Street Review, The Raven's Perch, Deep South Magazine, Hektoen International (a journal of medical humanities), Literary Veganism, Choeofpleirn Press, Seattle Star, Poetry Superhighway, Open Arts Forum, The Light Ekphrastic, Midway Journal, Open Door Poetry Magazine, The Pennsylvania Literary Journal and Literary Heist.