by Casie Dodd
Not yet Catholic, I embrace this sacrilege
and thank the good Jay Cee my son can’t read lyrics when he visits
Folsom Prison one more time
because it’s the only way he’ll fall the one long beeeep to sleep
Set those strings asunder, give rhythm to our cry
cry
cries
And as that tough old boy Sue makes room for a fine spiritual, I ask the screams,
Where can I find you? Jackson? Reno? San Antone?
You know how it is to rely on someone else’s words more than your own
Let the words burn into my bones one piece at a time so they can
keep us straight, turn the tide
Oh love that failed—to become unfailing
O source of my babe’s slumber, keep watch this night
Oh God, please sustain
Casie Dodd lives in Arkansas with her husband and two children. Her writing has appeared in Fare Forward, Ekstasis, Front Porch Republic, and other journals. She is currently in the MFA program at the University of St. Thomas (Houston).