HOW TO AVOID A HAUNTING, Terry Abrahams

Terry Abrahams lives and writes quietly in Toronto. His work has been a part of BALDHIP, (parenthetical), Peach Mag, and the Puritan, among others.

together, with the covers drawn

here in the dark
we don’t need to be boys
we can be better

learn to trust
what you cannot see

I know I know
it sounds strange

but what you know
with your body remains

even after it goes
yes even after it goes
I promise

autobiography

this handful of stones
each one carrying a wish
to hit its target

to rearrange this afternoon
so that maybe memory
will save me

how to avoid a haunting

get a dog and teach her one trick:

speak

in the locker room

when the body is in observation
you might feel the heart swell

I’ve been careful not to mistake this
for admiration