"To My Avarice" by Jason Fraley

To My Avarice

why the nom de plume / discover the Holy Ghost’s schematics /
infiltrate us / one by one / but don’t feign ataxia / bury your face / in
scarf and brow / we recognize you / in ourselves / our lips throb / for
our own taste / incest indulged as virtue / don’t wince / accumulation
as apotropaic / a ritual / once whispered in tavern shroud / governed
now by laws / of dismal men / rectors scrub your body / transparent
/ on stained glass / light passes through you / pure / did you know
the last time / you bribed St. Peter / would be the last / that your
melodious name / set to the clang and jangle / of precious metal /
would be replaced / by a single syllable / anyone could hum / even
those whose hands / curled around coins / only in dreams

Jason Fraley

Jason Fraley is a native West Virginian who lives and works in Columbus, OH. Prior and forthcoming publications include Quarter After Eight, DIAGRAM, Jet Fuel Review, I-70 Review, Copper Nickel, West Trade Review, and Forklift, Ohio.

Headshot: Kent Smith Photography

Photo Credit: Staff