by Jared Beloff
The algorithm interrupts me with images
the fedora you wore a hospital in Chicago
the navy cap I sent to Josh last August
Alter Cocker embroidered white
a year ago you called me
Pain in the Tuchas
to ask if I would bear your coffin
stenciled on a dark mug
the algorithm sends me reminders
clumps of hair on a tiled floor
to renew my Ancestry membership
a year ago you called me
we held your coffin
we could not bear it
turning the wrong way at your grave
one more dance we said
I can still picture it
I scroll to a sepia image
my father stands behind you at a birthday
his mouth open as if to cheer
and you are still laughing
::
Jared Beloff is the author of Who Will Cradle Your Head (ELJ Editions, 2023). He is the editor of the Marvel inspired poetry anthology, Marvelous Verses (Daily Drunk, 2021) and the forthcoming Poets of Queens Anthology, Vol. 2 (2024). His work can be found at AGNI, Image Journal, Baltimore Review, EcoTheo Review, River Mouth Review and elsewhere. He is a Poetry Editor at The Weight Journal. You can find him on his website www.jaredbeloff.com. He is a teacher who lives in Queens, NY with his wife and two daughters.
Image: Majid Gheidarlou
ID: a burning candle in a dark room.
Psaltery & Lyre 