let it be passages

4/1/25

If this is the last poem I ever write, then let it be

prayer once heard from bedside

apologists claiming paint as salvation / it’s not

passion derived from marrow’s pain

plastic casing years tormented

esteem seen plainly by less than none / pointless

passages poorly written of deception

acceptance once felt from tunnels / pleasing

palms against brick or stone or

parchment ripped and glued in place

present it to me / easy / pressure is anywhere but here

apologize to the cage that only you have

put yourself in / only none will believe it / only

angels protect us in passing

away is not far / pass to me this purpose and

pray that poetry is heard not

once from cotton sheets / but in ritual

acceptance pooling and surrounding

arenas of presentation / paste / easy / only no

one can see

paint will not change this plastic

everlasting

— ODH