IX
twenty-six thousand nine hundred and sixty-two
I leave the coastline behind
for the all-important city
the men here tell me
what they’ll do to me
given the opening
the men here refuse
culpability, virtue,
softness, the sun itself
the culpable here make peace
with their bargains,
make good with our sacrifice
the sacrificed here wither
like only the still-breathing,
near-dead can accomplish
everything here happens all at once
and it’s all perfectly functional
and it’s all perfectly bright
twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and seventy-one
The Republic of Home is available from The Blasted Tree Store
Featured by The Blasted Tree: August 6, 2022
Leslie Joy Ahenda
Contributing Author
The Republic of Home by Leslie Joy Ahenda is a Blasted Tree original collection of poetry.
ISBN [Digital]: 978-1-987906-92-9
Cover Design by Kyle Flemmer