SHORT LIFE

mother

supports the war.  brother

is one week
saying

losing the baby
is not a race, and the next

he’s returning

to pregnancy
spoils
the child. 

I sell
from my father’s attic
binoculars

to god

and cigarettes

to the sex
of my inner. 


About Barton Smock:
Barton Smock lives in Columbus, OH with his wife and four children.  He writes daily at kingsoftrain.wordpress.com, and self-publishes prolifically via his author spotlight on Lulu. His most recent title is The Women You Take From Your Brother.