Slick god that allows me to hold more than me,
silicone ocean that births love with sweet foam,
that leaves a stained fossil, a discolored circle
on the bedsheet, persistent memory of a night/
weekend morning/Tuesday afternoon/oily epoch
when I was a supplicant, when I prayed to be an
amphora dripping & slippery. O elastic, tidal love.
How many can I absorb? How many eyes, hands?
How many soft waves lapping the archipelago, how
many humid after-hours, aftermaths, after-the-panic-
attacks, after-the-fights over dishes & wedding plans?
How many Mes? How many Yous? How many Yeses?
How many new joys can we balloon & blossom to hold?
How many Manies? & Hows? & then, how many more?
Aphrodite or, Ode to Lube
Patrick Roche is a queer poet, mental health advocate, and Carly Rae Jepsen enthusiast. He is the author of A Socially Acceptable Breakdown (Button Poetry, 2021), which was named a Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award. His work has been published by UpWorthy, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, BroadwayWorld, FreezeRay Press, and his mom’s fridge. Patrick has shared stages with Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of RUN DMC, Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow, and Abbott Elementary star Tyler James Williams. He currently lives with his husband and their dog in Astoria, NY.