some boys aren’t born they bubble
up from the earth’s crust land safely around
kitchen tables green globes of fruit already
in their mouths when they find themselves crying
they stop crying these boys moan
more than other boys they do as desire
demands when they dance their bodies plunge
into space and recover the music stays
in their breastbones they sing songs about
storms then dry their shoes on porches
these boys are so cold their pilot lights never light
they buy the best heat money can buy blue flames
swamp smoke they are desperate
to lick and be licked sometimes one will eat
all the food in a house or break every bone
in his jaw sometimes one will disappear into himself
like a ram charging a mirror when this happens
they all feel it afterwards the others dream
of rain their pupils boil they light black candles
and pray the only prayer they know oh lord
spare this body set fire to another
from Calling a Wolf a WolfFind more by Kaveh Akbar at the library
Copyright © 2017 Kaveh Akbar
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Alice James Books.