What Rough Beast | Poem for June 14, 2017

Reuben Gelley Newman
Loki at the Women’s March, NYC

The morning after poor old Trump took charge,
the Trickster, slinking out the Stonewall’s door,
bewitched with booze, became a cat at large,
a pussy fierce as any gurl of yore.
He hasn’t been in town since June
of ’69: his hair on fire, he slips
into a dress, his necklace bright too soon
as someone starts to touch his rosy lips:
a kiss, and then the cops in black and blue.
Now Loki creeps through streets he walked as man,
streets named for Susan B. and people, too,
with AIDS. He meows, and can he understand
the queerly crowd collapsing in so quick,
how rushing bodies grace this country, sick?

 

Reuben Gelley Newman’s, poems appear in the Alexandria Quarterly and diode poetry journal. A participant in The Adroit Journal’s 2016 Summer Mentorship Program, he is 18 years old, hails from New York City, and will be attending Swarthmore College in the fall.

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