BY JOHN SIERPINSKI
Copyright is held by the author.
ON ONE of your multiple
trips to detox, you told
me that there were
several Klansmen
around your hospital
bed. A burning cross
in the bathroom.
Often the hospital
staff sedated you,
even strapped you
to the metal hospital bed.
Still another time you
volunteered to go
to detox, knowing
already what to expect.
On one occasion
your mother called
and told me,
Justin might not
make it through
the night.
You did,
but I thought
resilience
has a limit.
I remember my uncle
with the heart condition
telling me,
We are not made
of iron and steel. Burning wooden cross
bone, muscle and blood.
***
John Sierpinski has published poetry in many literary journals such as North Coast Review, California Quarterly and Spectrum to name a few. He is a multiple Pushcart Prize nominee. His three books of poetry are published by Cholla Needles Arts and Literary Library. He lives in Yucca Valley, California.
