oh let me live it first & not just in
my head but with my body breathing corpse
that dances for the gods though i don’t see it
only scribbles highlife hieroglyphs
& oncetrue runes // a phone call from my angel
changes everything of course i’m too
much boy to check for orphic voicemail that
could save me // lifetimes working like a devil
for a taste of heaven dreams to age
with grace create a clean lit place a vigil
for my individuality
// flames flicker sanguinary amber lemon
then reverse i beg my better self
for clemency cry treat me as a fiend friend
Thomas Zimmerman (he/him/his) teaches English, directs the Writing Center, and edits The Big Windows Review at Washtenaw Community College, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. His poems have appeared recently in Feed the Holy, Kinpaurak, and Soul Poetry. His latest poetry book is My Night to Cook (Cyberwit, 2024).
