A Poem by Kenneth Pobo

 
This Morning I'm 

listening to

"Crystal Blue Persuasion"

on the radio.  Brotherhood

songs almost seem quaint

in a world defined

by orange make-up,

cankles, and rotting hands.

I sing along, turn it up,

brotherhood's not soft

or squishy.  It takes

courage.  Risk.  Living

in darkness but knowing

others sing

with you.

Kenneth Pobo is the author of thirty-three chapbooks and fifteen full-length collections.  Recent books include Bend of Quiet (Blue Light Press), At the Window, Silence (Fernwood Press), and Raylene And Skip (Wolfson Press).  His work has appeared in Asheville Poetry Review, North Dakota  Quarterly, Amsterdam Quarterly, Nimrod, Mudfish, Hawaii Review, and elsewhere.