he let me sell my poetry books
in his comic book shop

one day I wandered in to see if any had sold

they hadn’t

Dan, I have something for you, he said

and slid a hundred dollar bill across the table to me
saying, print up some books.

tired of the game of trying to selling my stuff
I asked, could I just use it to live off of and write?

use it for whatever you want, he replied

my wife and I needed groceries

for once poetry wasn’t just a miracle of the page

Selected byNolcha Fox
Daniel J. Flore III

Daniel J. Flore III’s fifth book of poetry is WRITTEN IN THE DUST ON THE CEILING FAN and it can be found here.