widow
she danced
so ferally
the twirl
ripped
a boy
from her
skin—
a stork
flung
from his mouth.
she reached out
but both were gone.
the flowers
cut themselves
& arranged
for a eulogy.
*
john compton (b. 1987) is a gay poet who is the author of 20 books/chapbooks, who lives in kentucky with his husband josh and their dogs and cats, and mice. his latest full length book is “my husband holds my hand because i may drift away & be lost forever in the vortex of a crowded store” published with Flowersong Press (dec 2024); his new full length book “house as a cemetery” published with Rebel Satori Press (march 2026) & is nominated for the national book award.
