Poetry by Kevin Miller

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A Mind of Winter

in the latest note, surrender
or relent or review your most 
grievous decisions, pretend you
might amend the wrongs, say
it’s a twelve step program and
you need to apologize for mistakes 
you have made, in fact start 
with the ones without alcohol
for an excuse, the core bits where
complete asshole is yours, un-
assisted, solo, so many own goals 
you have net burns from each try
to start again— a man cleans up 
after himself. You might lead the 
league in amendments, you with
a constitution for change, all prep
work for most improved human
built into you first seventy-one years. 
A friend writes he wants to lean
toward silence in the new work,
you find a way to have nothing 
to say, you pause and nod, amen. 
​


​Kevin Miller: Miller's fourth collection Vanish received the Wandering Aengus Press Publication Award in 2019. Miller taught in the public schools of Washington State for thirty-nine years. He lives in Tacoma, Washington.
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