PENANCE
And so I pull on
the scratchy flesh-colored
underwear
and walk stiff legged
among the citizens in the town square,
stand just by the entrance
to the drugstore
and pretend not to watch
as they emerge
with fragrant purchases
though the herbal aromas tear
at my nostrils.
And so I sit on the bench
in front of the old folks’ home
and don’t feed
the hard-staring bitter pigeons.
And so I
pour a handful of sharp
pebbles into
my best pair of shoes.
Look at me, please, acknowledge
the painful steps I take.
Not painful enough by a long shot
but at least give me an E
for effort.
BIOGRAPHY: Jeffrey Park is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He currently lives in Munich, Germany where he works at a private secondary school, as well as teaching business English to adults. His most recent poems have appeared in Subliminal Interiors, Danse Macabre, Punk Soul Poet, Mobius, Darkling Magazine and elsewhere.
