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michener
i applied to your beautiful school today
old man
i hope you never thought
they’d let someone like me in
or that there would even be a school
where people took tests
to measure their insides
walked through the screen door
and dropped my thoughts
on the desk
my baby was sick the night before
throwing up
and crying, crying
like the sweat on my back
every time
i felt his stomach tighten
we took turns taking the sheets
off his bed
i held him close
and sang nonsense
into his tiny ear
they’ll form some sort of committee
ad hoc and bent down
around a coffee table
spilling buttered bagels
on my application
i thought about it
this entire lousy year
even as i drove in my screeching,
run-down car past the Baptists
and their hokey billboard
they put up new messages
each Sunday
"it takes a lot of kneeling
before you can stand"
most likely it’ll be no
and thank you for trying
half of half of half of us
even have a melting snowball’s chance
i nodded to the secretary behind the desk
and walked back out
into the hum of traffic
and the rush of
broken souls
who never tried
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