"Three Animals" by Henry Goldkamp

1

I have an extra shoulder blade. Some call it a “wing.”
Exactly 50% of angels have this defect.


I like it when I catch God looking.
He looks away.

2

I have a missing stomach. Some call it a “miracle.”
About 95% of these particular surgeries are successful.


Eating solids and drinking liquids with a lover like you is easy.
We dine. We dash. All done.

3

I have an optional hair. Some call it “rat tail.”
What’s a buncha fly-eyed zeroes like them gonna do about it?


I mind my business.
Shit.

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Henry Goldkamp rehearses his poetics out of a small garage in New Orleans. His poetry appears most recently in Narrative, Indiana Review, the minnesota review, DIAGRAM, Denver Quarterly, and Best New Poets 2021. His public art projects have been covered by NPR and Time, and he reads poems for Tilted House, The Adroit Journal, and Bayou. More and more at henrygoldkamp.com.