HALFWAY DOWN THE BLOCK, YOUR FATHER
Stops. It’s just congestion, he says.
I have congestion, not naming it—
his lungs as gauzy as a party dress—
explaining instead how the medic
at the VA had told him his heart
was as strong as any fullback’s.
We wait while he musters the air for
the next few steps, refusing the car,
with the stubbled pride of an old man
whose frayed shirt collar has been
turned by his dead wife, and, having
no third side, cannot be turned again
—from Rattle #25, Summer 2006
Tribute to the Best of Rattle
__________
Lola Haskins: “Poems, other people’s, and when I get really lucky, mine, have connected me with sisters, brothers and angels, more deeply than I have ever been connected by blood to anyone. Besides, the high of finally getting myself clear on the page’s field is so addictive I can’t imagine ever stopping trying. In other words, it doesn’t matter how frustrating it is when it doesn’t work because it’s so sublime when it does. All of you out there who write will know what I mean.” (web)
Lola Haskins is the guest on episode #32 of the Rattlecast! Click here to tune in live or archived …
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