My Son
–Susan Cataldo
From drenched: selected poems of Susan Cataldo 1979-1999
I love this messy room you live in
The plants you care for
The nickels & dimes & pennies you pile
Up on your desk like no-good money
The Amazing Spiderman poster on the wall
Tapes paint comic books biographies
Of all your favorite presidents
A picture of the Lincoln Memorial
On the wall facing your bed
An eleven year old dusty red TV
Daphne turning into a tree
Two autographed photographs of
Leonard Nimoy. Dracula.
A cross made of branches
Held together by a rubber band
You love daisies
& keep them alive until
Every bud has blossomed
You are interested in
What everyone is doing
You think of new things for them
To do you make them heroes
In your fantastic head
You look strong & handsome
But you don’t see that
You want to defend helpless people
You want to know why there aren’t
Really super heroes
You ask the same questions
I ask myself & can’t answer
You don’t understand jokes
You think they hurt
You are constantly dodging
Bullets & dreaming up new
Ways to defend yourself
You are stubborn to a fault
A fortress of mind & chest
Eyes never more mirrored
The soul than your
You deny love
You want to be “different”
You don’t want to feel
How much you love this life
