Michael Prihoda
bb gun
my father
got the bb gun
& later he got
the rabbit
who’d been
rutting
the berry
patches.
its body slumped
against the storm drain
as my father returned
like the Second Coming
with gloves to resurrect
that dwarfish heartbeat.
after years i’d dig for bone,
to find how swift
a heart decays
when locked in earth.
Michael Prihoda is a poet, editor, and teacher living in central Indiana. He is the editor of After the Pause, an experimental literary magazine and small press. His work has received nominations for the Pushcart Prize and the Best of the Net. He is the author of eight poetry collections, the most recent of which is Years Without Room (Weasel Press, 2018).
Previous: Catherine Weiss: what do dogs know • Issue 5 • Next: sally burnette – selected edible mushrooms of north carolina
