Getting all the feels with SZA tonight
as that rack of wine from yesterday
makes its way through my wrists and ankles
Sometimes a voice
can bury its dead in your heart
there is a benediction of birds in a
soaring procession of sounds
and a fallen hero enters whose sword flashed
red chills of spinal shadows
to defeat the dragon highway smile
thus you are grateful to have this esteemed stranger
who is now buried alongside
all of your familiar sins
Henceforth there is something of the hero
in what you’ve invited into your dirt
something to remember
when a lover discovers those emails
when your own child looks deep into your eyes
and despises you
even if it’s just another pop song
especially if it’s just another pop song
When I’m sober
I’m going to take my wife’s hand
and finally do something noble
Benjamin Schmitt is the author of three books, most recently Soundtrack to a Fleeting Masculinity. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in the Antioch Review, The Good Men Project, Hobart, Worcester Review, Columbia Review, and elsewhere. A co-founder of Pacifica Writers’ Workshop, he has also written articles for The Seattle Times and At The Inkwell. He lives in Seattle with his wife and children.
