Gopnik Press

Johnny was a little bit dead.
He’d warned us that might happen,
but still people had no damn patience
coming in every hour, poking him,
asking, Are you better yet, Johnny?
when everybody knows
that being a little dead
makes it difficult
to respond to inquiries.
Today we have salt to mix with the flour
so the bread will taste less of ashes
and more of tears
but Johnny is smiling
and there’s a hint of a gleam
in his eye
so we slap and shape the dough
and cultivate patience.