A poem-a-day protest against the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House and his regime
Christopher Stephen Soden
Interloper
for Volodymyr Zelensky
I couldn’t wait to tell you how
overjoyed we were when you
accepted our invitation. Your keen
wit lightened this despondency
that lingers like a wet, heavy fog.
I love to prepare exotic dishes
but hope they won’t suffer
by comparison to the stalwart
stews of your homeland. By now
I’m sure you’ve gathered
there’s another reason for my letter.
When dad hadn’t shown by nine,
I closed my eyes praying
he had passed out somewhere.
But then he arrived, stumbling
and hoarse, wind bitten cheeks
and bleary eyes. He is, God
forgive me, a vindictive buffoon.
Picking fights with my brother.
Goading and insulting you. When he
started with his disgusting songs,
slopping food like a hound, we were
drenched in shame. Oh sweet friend,
what must you think of us?
What a repugnant show
of hospitality for our valiant
pilgrim. Please don’t judge us
by our father. I don’t
love him, and I don’t want to.
I don’t care about the coy stories
of his rough courtship with mama.
His dour charm and creepy sense
of humor. Authenticity counts
for nothing if you’re a liar.
I can’t explain, but when I see
their wedding photograph,
I can only ask: Why didn’t she
break the spell? Even if
I was never born.
Christopher Stephen Soden is the author of the poetry collections Tempting God (Luchador Press, 2024), Gusher (Queer Mojo, 2022), and Closer (Queer Mojo, 2011). His poems have appeared in Rattle, The Cortland Review, Borderlands, The James White Review, Origami Poems Project, The Still Blue Project, and other journals, as well as in the anthology Gents, Bad Boys & Barbarians: New Gay Male Poetry (Alyson Publications, 1995), ed. Rudy Kikel. A native Texan, Soden holds an MFA in poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Indolent Books and editor Michael Broder are back with another poem-a-day series as a creative response to the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House. The plan is to continue for all 1460 days of the 47th American presidency.
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