The Robbers

Were at my door
I heard them
Trying to undo the chain
I awoke and saw a hand
My heart
Went wild
I ran to it
And punched it until it went away

The robbers were really one
Of my neighbors
So faded
This apartment for his

           In another world
This would not be the poem
In another world there would be another way
To bring out pathos

Doors say stay out
This is mine
Don’t come up in here I’ll kill you
Neighbor I don’t know you like that
The cops are on their way

We might say

           Come closer
Let me see your face
Tell me your name
What has happened to you
Today what was taken
A woman
A man
A child
A job
A house
Make me understand
What you are looking for




 is the author of Weekend Poems (dancing girl press, 2014) and is the co-founder of Five Quarterly.