Heather Lee Rogers
Political Tension
in my jaw
the milk expires
November 7th
a joke date that
I cannot understand
or laugh at
when I left my mask
and like a dusty clock
turned back
distracted nervous
on my urgent way
to voting
8 days early
joining this strong line
of aching hidden jaws…
in the rain
masks get damp
we shift our feet
impatient
for a free exhale
a risk
America
held behind my teeth
cannot afford.
—Submitted on 11/09/2020 to the erstwhile What Rough Beast series
Heather Lee Rogers‘s poems have appeared in Rat’s Ass Review, Harbinger Asylum, Here Comes Everyone, Leopardskin & Limes, El Portal, and other journals. Online at heatherleerogerspoetry.com.
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