Bone-Man
by Jessica Van de Kemp
The age of darkness breaks its spell.
There is a man I bear resemblance to.
Flies in the drain, sink, waste disposal.
I let them into my mouth.
Fresh water from the outskirts of town.
That man is my maker, not my father.
Worms climb the pipe.
Lock up the house!
The monster is back inside.
I call him Beenderman.
Man who doesn’t collect.
Man who eats bones.
And I grind my teeth at night.
I want to chew.
There is one who lay in bed.
Tiny soul, cry while you can.
If it’s your day, look to the floor.
If there’s a bad smell, take a deep breath.
Jessica Van de Kemp is an award-winning teacher, poet, and PhD
candidate at the University of Waterloo. She is the author of the
poetry chapbooks Daughters in the Dead Land (Kelsay Books,
2017) and Spirit Light (The Steel Chisel, 2015).
73