TONY GODINO

THIS IS THE LIFE (WHERE YOU LEARN TO BE KIND)

I know the path to the waterfall
that plays from a speaker in the corner
of the room up top by the ceiling
between me and the edge
of the universe she dances
on my back keeps me edging
with her hands then when I raise
my hips she knows she turns me over
and the staccato ceiling burns
up and into black and fast I shoot into
the night sky where I can speak freely
about where I am and why
I’m where disappointment and shame
are just words anchored to
the damp souls beneath me baby
please empty me tonight let me sleep
please and when I fall
back down to earth I put on my
grandfather’s necklace first because I still
believe his death protects me then I fill
her empty palm and head
down I hurry down the block
with worry for more than the dead
look in her eye or the
cctv feed of the front door
and parking lot let’s just say
for the sake of this poem
that love is an ocean no that’s
no good ok say the earth itself
is made of love then perhaps
the rain and snow are there
to prove there’s always more
to come no never mind
sorry for wasting your time

it’s just a poem about a brothel that’s all

Tony Godino has published short fiction with Isele Magazine and poetry with Pluto’s, Olney, and others. He is from Scranton, Pennsylvania and considers the 2022 MLS Cup to be the greatest heartbreak of his entire life. He can be found on Instagram here: @TonyGodinoDied