in the suburbs you feel
by kenneth pobo
In the suburbs you feel
safe. You walk to Wawa
for 1% milk. Some kids are
in the street playing hockey.
Ove yells, “It”s a faggot!” He”s
only about 8 years old -
if looks could kill. Once
insode the store, you hear
the bread delivery man
telling a gay joke at the cashier
who brays a laugh. You walk
back home, this time taking
a different street, the long way
around. You get inside
your door, fall on the floor,
try to pull out barbed wire
words, hate hooks. They don”t
come out. You watch
the weather station, pour tea,
draw the curtains tight.
