In order to view this poem with the line breaks the author intended, we suggest reading it on a computer screen or in landscape orientation on your phone or tablet.

Television Nights

I wanted to be on TV
when I was a kid.
My mom and dad,
my sisters and brothers and I
would stare at the glow
in the living room.
Every once in a while
one of us would say something.
Everyone else would shush them.
Awash in the silver light
we sat in the dark
laughing or crying softly.

—
Michael F. Latza was born and raised in Chicago. He taught at the College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL, where he also edited the creative writing journal Willow Review, from 2004 to 2025. Michael has been published in several literary journals, including The Solitary Plover and Appalachian Journal.

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