Hurt Bone
When I tell the story of your return,
you are the supplicant and I
the forgiving queen. But in that year
before you blew back into my life
like a late spring snow—
Praise the Broken Promise of America
Praise deep mineral veins under rich dirt,
and fossilized remains of dinosaurs turning themselves into gas
for our benefit. Praise the exhausted earth,
miles and miles of subsidized corn
and cattle lowing from their hell-holes
in automated milking barns.
Parable of Displeasure
He puked and he puked until he
thought now surely I must die, surely
there can be no more.
Carrying Paul
We were instructed in how to carry the casket.
I was one of the three on the left, the one at the back.
On my shoulder sat my one-sixth of the weight
of Paul’s heavy brass-handled, mahogany casket,
my right hand palm up, pressed flat on the bottom.
The Grass Ceiling
Image: “Self-Portrait as a Prep School Llama” by James Valvis. “The Grass Ceiling” was written by Kevin West for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, December 2024, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
The Afterlife
I’ve been dead for years, so this place suits me.
Sixty thousand channels thanks to cable.
Love the game room and those herbal teas.
Everyone remembers Betty Grable.