to Roberto

Thomas Kirk

there's a hospital bed in his living room
and he's lying there under a sheet
he's searching the ceiling for angels
and scanning the walls for a saint
his eyes are tacking toward me
then they sail into the abyss
for an instant I see that he knows me
then he studies my face - who is this
there's a hospital bed in his living room
and he's lying there under a sheet

he's searching the ceiling for angels
and scanning the walls for a saint
once we sat in circles of strangers
in basements on cold metal chairs
we stared at the gray floor beneath us
and waited for our turn to share
there's a hospital bed in his living room now
and he's lying there under a sheet
and he's finished with looking for angels here
Santa Muerte has blessed him with sleep

Tom is a teacher in central Oregon. He coaches high school cross country and track and field. He enjoys running, biking, camping, fishing, loitering in art museums, dumpster diving, and playing the Settlers of Catan with his wife, Kim, and their children. He spends his free time reading novels, short stories, essays, and poetry. His attempts to write poetry and short stories began the summer of 2024 in the EIU Summer Institute class. Dr. Tacke and the cohort were very generous and inspired him to keep writing. Tom's heroes of poetry are Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ada Limón, Langston Hughes, and Billy Collins.