Belle, Missouri, During the Pandemic on a Wednesday
here nothing has changed
everyone thinks we’re overreacting
angry parents talk about the prom
& missed school trips
young lovers have always died for pageantry
but the truth is
kids will still make babies
in the back of parked cars without
all of the ceremony
the news is a reminder that
the atomic bomb didn’t exist
until we built it
someone says
if we can survive that
we’ll certainly
get through this
with or without toilet paper.
About the Author: John Dorsey lived for several years in Toledo, Ohio. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including Teaching the Dead to Sing: The Outlaw’s Prayer (Rose of Sharon Press, 2006), Sodomy is a City in New Jersey (American Mettle Books, 2010), Tombstone Factory, (Epic Rites Press, 2013), Appalachian Frankenstein (GTK Press, 2015) Being the Fire (Tangerine Press, 2016) and Shoot the Messenger (Red Flag Press, 2017) and Your Daughter’s Country (Blue Horse Press, 2019). His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and the Stanley Hanks Memorial Poetry Prize.He was the winner of the 2019 Terri Award given out at the Poetry Rendezvous. He may be reached at archerevans@yahoo.com.
More By John Dorsey:
Anthony Bourdain Crosses the River of the Dead
Image Credit: Carol M. Highsmith “Jalopy that has seen better days” The Library of Congress. Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
As It Ought To Be 