Poet of the Week: Adrienne Christian
dog in a dead man’s house
I was
a dog in a dead man’s
house. I was
a tooth in a dead man’s
mouth. I was
a rat in a family’s
den. I was
a hog in a horse’s
pen.
She spoke
to me when she wasn’t pissed
off. She got
pissed off when she looked at my
face. I got
my freckles and nose from my
dad. He was
a man set on being a
rat.
She was
a girl with her head in her
hands. She was
a girl who just couldn’t make
ends
meet up
with no support check from my
dad. I was
the curse of the blood with no
pad.
She said
your dad needs to take care of
you. He needs
to feed you and buy you new
shoes. He’s got
to learn to provide for his
kids. I ate
the roaches I found in the
fridge.