Suddenly / late summer / shirtless in the loft / he watches me / surmount the top rung / Soft timothy exhaling June / The twine breaks / spreading blue / purple florets on which we lie / about men / the Virgin / glistening skin / senators and welfare / other things we cannot carry / like pistols / plastic bags / creek mud when it floods / uncovering July’s empty cans / our fathers’ distal bits / shredded mineral deeds / gold watches and fillings / silver rings my nephews will inherit / as we leave / behind nothing 

Ben Kline lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, writing poems, telling stories, drinking more coffee than might seem wise. His chapbook SAGITTARIUS A* will be published in 2020 by Sibling Rivalry Press. He is a poetry reader for Flypaper Lit. His other work is forthcoming or has recently appeared in The Cortland Review, DIAGRAM, Hobart, Juked, A&U Magazine, Bending Genres Journal, Queen Mob’s Teahouse, Okay Donkey and many more. You can read more at https://benklineonline.wordpress.com/.