A child chews on his toy
Lucid imbecility
A baby’s lallation
All his l’s are r’s—
My dumb joy
When I talk like him.

Image credit:Kelly Sikkema

Bruce Alford’s debut full-length poetry collection, TERMINAL SWITCHING, was published by Elk River Review Press in 2007.


Alford received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Alabama and was an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of South Alabama from 2007-2011. He currently lives in Hammond, Louisiana. Before working in academia, he was an inner-city missionary and journalist. You can find out more about Bruce and his work at his website,

bruce-alford.com

, connect with him on Facebook and on Twitter @bruceealford.