If not now
then when?
If not
through
these people
during
this sickness
through
this panic
if fathers
don’t forget
their
grocery store
greed
takes flour
from
their neighbor,
steals bread
from his
daughter
to remember
their hopeless
doesn’t
mean me
to realize
their despair
comes
from
not having
a task
to complete
a list
to check
a name tag
to hold
their form
in place
a title
to gather
their
identities around
lost
abandoned
by supervisors
afraid
unsure
of who
they are
now
is the time
to find
a creek
kick off
your shoes
peel back
your socks
and walk
barefoot
upstream
into
the woods
without
a flashlight
to leave
for a
road trip
without GPS
to talk
to the man
with
the beard
holding
the sign
on the corner
to consider
your parents’
religion
was created
by men.
Now
is the time
to find
a hobby
to explore
your neighborhood
to leave
the light on
and hope
a stranger
comes
for a visit.
Now
is the time
you’ve been
waiting for.
Jonathan Warren is a forty year old musician and teacher living in Boise, Idaho. His first collection of poetry “Umbrella Weather” was published by Red Dashboard in Fall of 2017. His fiction and poetry have appeared in Confrontation, Black Heart, Everyday Fiction and a handful of other publications you probably haven’t heard of.