Gasp, n. gæsp

equivalent to Old Norse geispa; akin to gape 
see also:
last gasp

Terence Degnan

originally published Spring 2024

when our daughter was just a decade
into a life 

we left her at 
some camp we found on the internet

weeks at a time, for 
consecutive summers

and during one of these 
spooky afternoons

a string of bombers 
floated over a meadow

where she and a handful
of other unsuspecting campers

found themselves
in the squadron’s shadow;

the term for this moment
is gasp 

or rather, finding oneself 
inside of a hairpin

or a mental dogleg;
to her credit, she reported

that for a brief spell
the handful they were

felt a freedom like 
no other;

an easement of history 
so preeminent 

that I am convinced 
it’s innate


Terence Degnan is the author of three full-length books of poetry. His newest collection “I Can Wonder Anything” was published in March of 2023. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and daughter.


-8-