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You are here: Home / Poetry / The Janitor of Feather Town
The Janitor of Feather Town

Poetry

The Janitor of Feather Town

Later, the birds would find what I’d planted
in crooked bins before it could die of thirst. 
That’s the thing about birds. I put out a feeder, 
and they littered my balcony with seeds, 
squabbled like downstairs neighbors come 
the first. The little ones drove off the pretty 
ones. I was happy just to watch and pretend 
I was mayor of Feather Town, but I was more 
like the janitor. I saw a woman walking in long 
squares around the parking lot every day, fists 
up. I wanted to tell her no one ever got rich 
from working hard, but I’ve got my own route 
to plan. Loud sex like an unbalanced washing 
machine for a solid fifteen seconds. No wonder 
they’re walking it off. A cheerful sprint to the car,
after. Music all the way up on the way
to the donut shop. I won’t say it’s envy.
It’s not that I think I’m better than anyone else.
When I put the feeder away, the birds came
to scream at my balcony door. It’s something
like that, something about expectations like
gravity. And people slowing to stare as 
you try to change the math.

CL Bledsoe was raised on a rice and catfish farm in eastern Arkansas and is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the poetry collections Riceland, Trashcans in Love, Grief Bacon, and his newest, The Bottle Episode, as well as his latest novels Goodbye, Mr. Lonely and The Saviors. Bledsoe co-writes the humor blog How to Even, with Michael Gushue located here: https://medium.com/@howtoeven. He’s been published in hundreds of journals, newspapers, and websites that you’ve probably never heard of. Bledsoe lives in Northern Virginia with his daughter.

Featured Artwork:

Pigeons in Paris

Sherry Shahan watches the world and its people from afar; whether on the backstreets of Havana, a squat hotel room in Paris, or a bicycle in bustling Bogota. Her photography has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and literary journals. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and taught a creative writing course for UCLA for 10 years.

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