A poem that does not flatten
(listen to the poem, read by the author)
or sew down its edges. Carries a bucket.
Sits on a bench by the cancer center,
won’t argue with the burden of spring.
An Agent Orange poem. On any date!
When you’re supposed to be working.
A medically complex poem. Heavy,
an exit song.
Back to Top of Page | Back to Poetry | Back to Volume 17, Issue 2 – Winter 2023-2024
About the Author
J. Tommy White (they/them) is a multiply disabled poet, educator, and health researcher living in North Carolina on unceded territory of the Eno-Occaneechi band of the Saponi Nation. They are an American born child of Agent Orange. Their poems appear in Bat City Review, Frontier Poetry, and Stone of Madness. White studied languages at Temple University. They hold a graduate degree in public health.