Ryan Dzelzkalns
Dull Scrub of Blue
I was a very poetic scientist, / a real numskull, and I lost
all my funding. I used it up / buying myself dresses to take off.
—Catie Rosemurgy
there is no right answer
but to swallow everyday
say ossuary
say my body
say father will die
not like this
I thought I’d give it a try
I never have any fun
I’m sorry
there’s no fucked raw
just the rest
defuse this dirty bomb
each morning
tongue of bluets
I am lightheaded
or ebullient go ahead
biohazard away
body tossed to wind
all my insides blue
blame the knife
otherwise healthy
try and catch it
when it falls
not alive but waiting
why am I so afraid
notice his eyes, blue
shoot across my face
the bloom has failed
Ryan Dzelzkalns is a midwestern boy at heart. He has poems appearing or forthcoming in Echolocation, Midwestern Gothic, Narrative, Revolver, and SWAMP. He received an MFA from NYU and now works for the Academy of American Poets. He is the tallest man in New York.
This poem is not previously published.