round cracker sparrows
on the front porch
we read poems to each other,
alternating turns while naming
every grackle “henry.”
the rain comes and goes,
like some magical waterfall
with a malfunctioning
on/off switch that never
worked right, like some
invisible god was paying
attention to our inner
most thoughts.
____________
the perpetual pain of red
for mark patterson
dead at 23 but brought
back to life after seeing
the other side
everyone these days
is on island time
and the mission’s
in need of a pump
36 years sober
but you could’ve
fooled me
i see you on your throne,
king of the cooked,
watching paint dry
____________
Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, zines, and online publications. He has published 18 chapbooks and 2 collections. He runs Between Shadows Press.
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