Winter. West side
There are two belly-heavy men
working on a van
that’s been jacked up in the driveway
three days now
working on a van
that’s been jacked up in the driveway
three days now
A child plays underfoot
his red mittens hanging on a string
fingers stiff and frostbitten
they slide his tiny body under the chassis
getting grease on his dingy blue parka
his red mittens hanging on a string
fingers stiff and frostbitten
they slide his tiny body under the chassis
getting grease on his dingy blue parka
A big brown cat prowls the front yard
picking its way over plastic trucks
rusted shovels, crusts of leftover snow
a fat cheetah chasing prey in a wasteland
picking its way over plastic trucks
rusted shovels, crusts of leftover snow
a fat cheetah chasing prey in a wasteland
The men will stop their work
to drink beer
yell at the dog
say fuck you or hello to passing ramshackle cars
The child cries from cold and boredom
great rivers of snot flooding red cheeks
and a woman occasionally peers out
through the cracked window pane
aware of her son’s fate
cigarette dangling from her warm fingertips
to drink beer
yell at the dog
say fuck you or hello to passing ramshackle cars
The child cries from cold and boredom
great rivers of snot flooding red cheeks
and a woman occasionally peers out
through the cracked window pane
aware of her son’s fate
cigarette dangling from her warm fingertips
©Jenn Carson 2012
Please do not quote or reproduce this work without permission of the author.
No comments:
Post a Comment