The 29 by Matt Dennison

                       Ross Griff CC



The 29

I once counted
the pots and pans
I had to put on the floor
near the back door every time
it rained — 29, including buckets
and skillets and bowls and plates
and casserole dishes and hats
and boots and fish bowls
and catfoodbowls and
dogfoodbowls and lids
and coffee cups and
discontent and rage
until finally accepting
it all to somehow
smile in the morning
as I poured the proof
of poverty down the
drain and got on
with it.

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Matt Dennison is the author of Kind Surgery, from Urtica Press (Fr.) His work has appeared in Rattle, Bayou Magazine, Redivider, Natural Bridge, The Spoon River Poetry Review and Cider Press Review, among others. He has also made short films with Michael Dickes, Swoon, Marie Craven and Jutta Pryor.

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