Larry D. Thomas

L a r r y   D .   T h o m a s

The Security Guard

Every night, for decades,

he’s had the whole place

to himself. He knows

each work with the intimacy

of close friendship, relishing

the impenetrable nuances

beyond the feeble reach

of his knowledge. Blind-

folded, he could identify

each canvas by its scent.

His sense of hearing

intensifies with each

passing night, alert

even to the soft collisions 

of motes of dust. At times,

if he listens hard enough,

he can hear the slow,

deep breathing of the artists. 

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