Poetry: “Embalmer’s Smile” by Paul Pera

Paul Pera began writing for Syndic under the mentorship of LeRoy Chatfield (then known by his religious name: Brother Gilbert) during his high school years in San Francisco and has since been published in Phoenix (Moraga), Transfer (San Francisco), Poetry Northwest (Seattle), and Choice (Chicago). After a brief respite of 45 years circumnavigating various arts and life experiences, Paul has again taken up the quill and keyboard and returned to his original love: Poetry.