The Hopeless Case

A mother

left crying

alone in her pew 

Begging the Lord

for a miracle

new …

The only thing

he was good at

was being bad

Bus stations 

train stations

corn maidens in drag

He came and he went

with the most

discordant rhyme

His sins 

left uncounted

but marking the time

In Akron Ohio

his grifting

unwrapped 

Those roads

in New Mexico

calling him back

The lights

and the sirens

again on their way

His thumb

in the wind

— Saint Jude in dismay

(The Breezeway: January, 2024)