I came across this poem earlier this year while going down the rabbit hole of the Internet, though I can’t remember where my search started and for what I was looking. Sometimes while scrabbling around in the dirt, I come across a piece of gold like this one.
First, I love a good story. Second, if it combines drama and humor, count me as a fan. I read it once, twice, three times. Each time I read it, I liked it even more. I read it out loud. (Please try this if you have not already, especially with this poem.) When the speaker returns to the present in that last stanza, something shifts—I treasure this in any poem that manages it—that makes the poem open out, open wider.
Thank you, Tom Hunley, for being a part of my National Poetry Month blog series.
You can listen to Robert McCready reciting this poem on his Evening Magic YouTube Channel here.
During the month of April, to celebrate National Poetry Month, I am sharing a poem each week with you from a contemporary writer. I hope to pique your interest in poetry, if it needs to be piqued, and to show you that a really great poem can be accessible to all.
May you all be safe and well.
This poem was originally published in Rattle and is published here with permission from the author. You can learn more about Tom Hunley here.
Photo by Mark Kamalov from Unsplash.com
