In my father’s coffin
All the termites
In the oak casket
Of my mother
All the worms
That had burrowed
For years to nest in
My brother’s silk pillow
This is the diet
Of a madman One
Who breaks into church
Way past midnight
To go to confession again
Strong and Healthy But mad
John McKernan recently retired after teaching 42 years at Marshall University as a comma herder and phonics coach. He lives in West Virginia and Florida. His poems have been published many places from the Atlantic Monthly to Zuzu’s Petals. His most recent book is a collection of selected poems Resurrection of the Dust.
