Victor Clevenger

August 15, 2023

we hug different ways for different times &
different places     the casual reach around
with one arm     two arms     the quick draw
to determine my arms over his arms or his
arms over my arms     the judge the situation
& lean in halfway     or all the way until
we are chest to chest resting chins on shoulders
looking behind each other     looking away
to the left     away to the right     & for us 
that’s just how it goes     but today   
none of that mattered     i just held him tightly
as he began to fall
apart

                        heartbreak—
                        teenage son processing
                        dead friends

 

 

Victor Clevenger spends his days in a Madhouse and his nights writing.  Selected pieces of his work have appeared in print magazines and journals around the world. He is the author of several collections of poetry and together with American poet John Dorsey, they run River Dog. He can be reached at: crownofcrows@yahoo.com