Dear poet of nooses of sharp okra
& tired trams
my bones are filled
with wet tobacco & spent coffee grounds
with the sound of ten thousand
hammers hitting brass in unison
your name hollows space
in the soft-cavity of my mouth
& I have no shape to make
of your sound
forgive me
I have wagered everything
on blowing spring cherries back
into cigarettes that continually
ghost us
on soup-thick something
I have once again forgotten to name
out of a deep care for my neighbor
I am as weepy as the soft boiled egg
the aunties fight over as they lose
their dentures & laugh themselves
to death
a woman is crying for
five marks to get her son on a bus out
of this city that cannot forget the bones
under its streets
her son is nowhere
to be found we are all in on the gig
everything that has not already been promised
is moaning in a warm palm that does not belong
to us hiding deep within the calm of our pockets
I watch two teenage girls crush their futures
between two credit cards & blow hope
for tomorrow into each other’s noses
sweet saint of a poet whose name I discovered
in the ruptured peace between car alarms
rip it out if you must
this long-lunged gospel of grudge
find forgiveness somewhere within us
& let us hang from its long tender braid
Matt Schroeder is a poet and educator based in southern China. His poetry can be found in Thin Air Magazine, New World Writing, Welter Magazine, and forthcoming from Poet Lore & Eclipse Lit.
Featured Artwork: The River of Life Acrylic Painting on Canvas S.S.Q is a short story writer, novelist, content editor, and artist. She believes art is the best way to express self, and thoughts can be expressed in creative artwork. She studied English Language and Literature and MBA. She enjoys learning new languages and exploring different cultures. As of now, she lives in Istanbul, Turkey, and a few months ago, she was a resident of the beautiful city of Antalya. She escaped the hot sunny days of the prestigious city of Abu Dhabi four years ago, and she is open to new adventures for the coming years!