Joseph J. Capista
Let me be
a lesser
asshole
let this
shamble
of inelegance
I undertake
each day
prove
at least
my own
existence
let me
treat kindly
those I
profess
to love
& who
love me
let me
not cry
during
certain
pop songs
mitigate my
ravishment
let my
beloved
remember
us as us
let mercies
map our
way as
asphalt
maps
a summer
rain
proof
of touch
& proof
of miss
proof
of pattern
randomness
let my
children
remember
me as
there
let me
think
of them
each time
I pass
the house
on 26th
with seven
velvet
petals
nailed
along its
transom
let me
tell them
this with
my lips
today I
recognized
the scream
of my
own child
its duration
& its pitch
above
the mass
of children's
playground
screams
amen
let my
terror be
particular
when it
rises
from
within.