坚持到底 Till The Very End
“They take, as men are wont to do, with zeal”—A. Van Jordan
i pray for the ones underpaid & wanting to be slapped
the paramedics w/ shaky hands & hooks in mouths
interns w/ their lanyards, daddy issues & long duk dong
poets messy eaters b/c juice streaking down their chins
poets having good dental b/c always knocking teeth
poets extra tired b/c cocks asleep in jeans
poets improving their cardio b/c hearts swollen tight as fists
poets paying attention b/c—u know—kinda looking around
finding their way, tongues stiff like spit on a wick
trained pink palomino or safecracker’s ear
hair shook loose like linguini
that busted-up cancer sack better not bother me
not here, not now
this band-aid wasn’t made for our kind of flesh
the best part of brain surgery is everyone’s guilty
the train may be delayed but a trip in the gravy boat is good for business
this cruise is gay, it’s the real deal
u have to be lonely enough to slam tequila & raw-dawg it
i’ve considered the details, the quiet classy love-child
found under some branches, cute as a pumpkin
we were canoodling below deck when the weather girls jumped
pull in tighter, get us close
hover over the hotness if u can
how did u chip that tooth, minister
i remember:
save the best for last:
i’m from the government & i’m here to help
Michael Chang (they/them) is the author of Synthetic Jungle (Northwestern University Press, 2023), Toy Soldiers (Action, Spectacle, 2024) & The Heartbreak Album (Coach House Books, 2025). They edit poetry at Fence.