Hidden in the dark, a seed clenches its secret.
Then a tiny fist of green splits the earth,
Its pale root-thread reaching deep.
Golden rays thread between the leaves—
all warmth and breath; the ants pause,
pilgrims to a miracle.
What does it know, this blind spark?
It climbs toward a light it cannot name,
shedding the dark like a second skin.
–
Sam Aureli is a design and construction professional, originally from Italy, now calling the Boston area home. A first-generation college graduate, he’s spent decades immersed in concrete and steel. Poetry is what truly feeds his soul these days. With retirement still a decade away, Sam balances the grind of his day job with the refuge he finds in writing. His work has appeared in The Atlanta Review, West Trade Review, Underscore Magazine, Chestnut Review, Stanchion Magazine, and other literary journals.
© 2026, Sam Aureli
Halfway Down the Stairs 