Three Uncles
One fled by Sea Then into Fire Then through Earth he Drew treasures from Pored over Poured into One fled by Classic car Down the Information Superhighway Good marriage in hand The eldest Disappeared into Education Imagination Words The sweetest Escape of all Phrases turned and Turned again But somehow never Too far inward Lively yet still-timid Monologues Too small to give themselves Over totally To the wit he breathes like Air
The bit about the eldest disappearing into education and imagination is such a specific kind of escape… like you can vanish in plain sight and nobody can even call it running.
This poem feels like a quiet, intimate sketch of three men who found their own ways of slipping out of the world’s grip.
The first uncle reads almost mythical, moving through sea, fire, and earth as if he was shaped by the elements themselves.
The second uncle feels more grounded a classic car, a steady marriage, a life built on motion but also comfort.
Then the eldest appears, escaping not through distance or danger, but through imagination.
There’s something tender in the way his world is made of words, small monologues, and half‑hidden brilliance.
I love how he’s described as lively yet timid, like someone who shines but never fully lets himself be seen.
Each uncle carries a different kind of longing, a different way of surviving the weight of life.
The poem says so much with so few lines, letting us feel the texture of their stories without spelling everything out.
It’s a portrait of three escapes physical, practical, and emotional all equally human.
By the end, it feels like a gentle tribute to the quiet ways people carve out space for themselves in the world.