The same forces...

(Originally published in spring of 2017)

the same forces, etched into your great-grandfather’s brow, monotone by the grime of would-be soil

the same forces keeping Angel, sinewy and fierce, locked up even though he’s just a boy

the same forces your Auntie sighs across the table, indefinitely, wheezing under the weight of doing every thing, for every one

the same forces, paralyzing that woman, on the corner, who sits like clay until dark, when she crumbles into shadow

the same forces, steeping in anger at softness where a man should be hard

the same forces

the same

forces

the same