Charles Butler was a prominent member of the poetry scene in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn when many of us began reading out in the early 2000s, particularly at the old Nightingale Lounge and Cornelia Street Café. We got to know his longtime partner Elise Buchman when she helped Charles host a series at the now defunct Perch Café in Brooklyn. In 2010, Charles relocated to Missouri to help Elise care for her elderly parents. This past June, Elise passed after a sudden and mercifully brief illness. Naturally, Charles has been processing this tragedy through his writing. He shared this piece with us recently, asking that we share it with you as a way to express their powerful connection.

darklandtouch

(for elise buchman. july 1st 1957 - june 4th 2023)

he sits in her chair. on the porch where she’d sit and watch the sun set, and then darkness in all seasons. in the cold and the warmth. morning, noon and night. in the days and nights that became years. he would touch her face. she would smile and look up at him. he sits in her chair. looking for her in the dark.