I Love Long Titles But I Can Never Be Clever So, Here It Is You Bastards — Ray Koffink

I Love Long Titles But I Can Never Be Clever, So Here It Is You Bastards

Ray Koffink

Artist Statement: Inspired by Neil Hilborn as a general muse and references Adam Falkner’s two poems, “Fishing the Little Pigeon” and “I Was Into Fishing and He Was Into Me”

I feel like Neil Hilborn every time I swear in poems.

Except with less of a beard and and more like peach pits for eyes. with strained orange pulp words as in I too am the ghost of something good.

My mother said as a toddler I spoke to her dead father often on my toy box, to wag chins like that chariot song low and sweet, long and meeting me at home because that was always there: headless summers like unkempt hair.

spent curled inside and my mind lost to childhood wanders and wonders - I’ve always talked to myself playing saxophone to strawberry knee sunsets because even then I was a bit fruity. Falling from roller blade curbs and failed skateboard ollies off granite corner boys so maybe I am Adam Falkner too.

Because the center of this lake always felt too deep, and now, I have lost

too many fishing poles to find my own words to say “I love you”

and still, here I am, saying to him talking to myself, dead like the ghost of someone good,

“Who am I now?”