Every waiting room is holy.
As for me I need a priest
or better still his Father
who can give me both story and love
without love stories.
I need a sermon on a grievous sinner
given over to sacred strength
the one voted least likely to turn saint.
Lately I see the appeal of martyrdom.
I’d trade these slowly clogging losses
for zealous cause
a righteous war to die in
a burning building to run into.
How many heroics are suicides, God?
How long do I wait here?
Tell me, oh God, of a grizzly haloed death.
Behavioral Health, 4:29 pm
Jessica L. Walsh is the author of two books of poetry, most recently The List of Last Tries, as well as two chapbooks. Her work has appeared in RHINO, Lunch Ticket, Fatal Flaw Lit, Tinderbox, and more. She is a community college professor living in the suburbs of Chicago but is originally from a small town in Michigan.