Kenneth Pobo

4 Easy Pieces 1.I’ve waited for my nasturtiums to bloom,but drought told them to line upand shot them. 2.I’ve waited for my pink rose to bloom,but beetles burrowed into budswhich soon fell off. 3.I’ve waited for my Tahitian Sunrise dahlia to bloom,but a groundhog became Maxwell in “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”and bang bang the whole stalk disappeared. 4.No more waiting. I’m a cloudand I’m passing by. Laundromatters In Aunt Kathy’s Laundromata man on his cell shoutslike he’s smashing outa cigarette: “If I seeEmily again I’ll kill her.” I pull shirts out of thejust-stopped-spinning dryer. Buttons burn my fingers. Another customer feedsthe front loader.While the phone guy hugshis clothes, she asksdo I have any quarters? I’m tapped out. It’s like that some days,you have nothing to offer,you turn your back.
Kenneth Pobo has a new book out from Assure Press called Uneven Steven. Forthcoming from Rectos Y Versos Press is a book called Opening. In addition to Brickplight, his work has appeared in: Nimrod, Hawaii Review, Amsterdam Quarterly, and elsewhere.