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Rob Schlegel
I

My son loads a toothbrush
With ozone. Tell me what you feel, I say.
I feel like you're a jerk.
No, I say. Tell me what you feel.
I feel like you're worthless and I hate you.


II

My father calls. His father is in the ICU.
I don't know what to say. Well,
My father says, I rototilled the garden today—


III

Between teaching and parenting
I somehow find time to notify my therapist
Of a change to my insurance.


IV

What's your mom's mom's mom's
Mom's name?


V

A man at the ATM is trying to deposit
His hand. Where he is

Is earth. He's my father—my dad
The day before the day of my birth.


VI

In the CVS, neon touches my son and I
Pretending to be strangers.


VII

My mother opens the oven
With an oven mitt. Julie gave me this,
She says. How is she, I say.
Dead, she says. I told you that.


VIII

Kisha is awake—
She thought she heard me groaning in my sleep
As if I suffered a violent blow to my face.


IX

My mother would turn on the faucet,
Wet a bar of soap. Her left hand
Held open my mouth.


X

When will I reach the people I love?
I sit where the shade would be
If there were trees.
from the book CHILDCARE / Four Way Books
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Cover image of Evie Shockley's new book, "suddenly we"
"Evie Shockley Searches for Humanity"

"Evie Shockley’s suddenly we is a visually exciting, linguistically dynamic, and altogether thrilling shapeshifter of a collection that is both a response and antidote to these times. Beyond its experimental, polyphonic, modern architecture, at its core, it’s a nuanced and sensitive exploration of collective and individual identity, within the context of broader societal, historical and environmental obstacles."

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"I love writing abecedarians. I love that they make me reach for words I would not ordinarily reach for; I love that they gesture at abundance without exhausting it, that they leave more unsaid than said. I love that they open the doors of my existing knowledge and invite me into the dictionary, the thesaurus, the encyclopedia, any number of archives. I love how democratic they are: even the trickiest, least common letter must be used, and the heavy hitters may only appear once." 
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