Brian Henry

FINAL WORD

The country is broken, its leader is small.
I seldom feel safe when I’m alone.
I do not face the world, I face the wall.
The only sound I can hear is a groan.

I seldom feel sad when I’m alone.
I have no one to text, no one to call.
The only sound I can make is a moan.
My legs tremble as I walk down the hall.

I have no one to text, no one to call.
I hear what might be a fly, or a drone.
My hands tremble as I move down the hall.
Now might be a good time to atone.

I hear what might be a plane, or a drone.
To avoid the windows I kneel, then crawl.
Now would be a good time to atone.
Every glance in the mirror casts a pall.

To avoid the mirror I kneel, then crawl.
The glass is broken, its splinters are small.
Every glance in the corner casts a pall.
I do not face the mirror, I face the wall.

“I do not face the world, I face the wall”
is from Michael Palmer’s “Sign.”

BRIAN HENRY is the author of eleven books of poetry and the recent prose book Things Are Completely Simple: Poetry and Translation (Parlor). He is editing and translating Tomaž Šalamun’s Selected Poems 1964-2014 for Milkweed Editions.