Possession
When I was young, the priest informedmy parents an old man was living inside me,and while he was not a demon, he wasbadly shaven and somewhat ill-temperedwhich perhaps explained why my deskresided in the hallway outside math class.
The exorcism was mild, involving onlya little hot broth and Latin incantation,after which they were all peering at meso I pretended to cough, no more thanif a flower petal had landed on my tongue,and they said, “There now, he’s gone.”
Now that badly shaven fellow’s risento the surface, like an old statue pulledfrom a river. Turns out he never left,just waited until the current left the boyupstream before showing his face,which is not ill-tempered but sadly familiar.I pretend to cough. He’s still there.
What Am I Going to Do With You?…
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The American Poetry Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, November/December 2024