The Hopeless Case

A mother
left crying
alone in her pew

Begging the Lord
for a miracle
new …

The only thing
he was good at
was being bad

Bus stations
train stations
corn maidens in drag

He came and he went
with the most
discordant rhyme

His sins
left uncounted
but marking the time

In Akron Ohio
his grifting
unwrapped

Those roads
in New Mexico
calling him back

The lights
and the sirens
again on their way

His thumb
in the wind
— Saint Jude in dismay

(The Breezeway: January, 2024)