Tuesday, June 9, 2026

A Poem

A Friend


I cannot explain my animus, the thorny place

I come from in the swamp at the edge of town.

I remember my life when I find the trail behind

the grocery store to my favorite spot among 

yesterday’s news. Strewn among me are my 

belongings where the present meets a mystery 

lunch wrapped in cellophane. Dogs miss me.

My body incarcerates a lie as black as a Bible,

something my tongue misses when I pronounce 

my fate. My blade cuts through vines till it is

as dull as a song no one can finish. I used to want 

to see my friend slipping through these woods,

her laughter echoing through the trees, her soft

parts visible in the sunlight. I put my arm around 

her at Christmas, but I can no longer feel anything.

Her hair covers my shoulder as she smiles.  


Joel Fry

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