Tony Gloeggler
IN THE BUILDING*
The group home is getting dressed
for Halloween and Harry's picked
the shiny white Elvis jump suit.
It's way too tight. Two counselors
struggle to pull the top over
his shoulders, finally fit his arms
into sleeves. His stomach sticks
out like he's ten months pregnant
and the workers try not to laugh.
Harry wants to know whether
he can eat five slices of pizza
at the party as he struts
toward the mirror, announces
that he looks like a fucking
dickhead. I nod, tell him
he sure does, ask if he prefers
the Humpty Dumpty costume.
He pauses, curls his top lip
like the King, strums
an imaginary guitar and sings
I Can't Help Falling In Love.
WEATHER
When we walk out the door,
Jesse's respite worker asks him
about the weather. It's February
in Maine and there's snow
on the ground. He answers
"Clouds, wind, too cold."
Still, I have to remind him
to zip his hoodie, ask maybe
we should go back inside,
change his sandals for socks
and boots. He blurts, "No
socks, no shoes" as I dig
my hands deeper into pockets,
trot to the car. His worker
turns down the radio,
shows him his cell phone.
A list of different cities
roll down the screen,
their current temperatures
next to them. The worker
points to one and Jesse
answers what he'd wear
if he were there, a coat,
or shorts and a tee shirt.
When the worker points
to another, Jesse pauses,
then says, "New York, Tony
house" and I wonder whether
he remembers that eight hour
U Haul drive when he moved
to Brooklyn the summer me
and his mom were in love.
Tony Gloeggler a life-long resident of New York
City. His work has recently appeared in Rattle,
The Raleigh Review, Chiron Review and The Paterson
Literary Review. His books include One Wish Left (Pavement
Saw Press) and The Last Lie (NYQ Books). Until the Last Light Leaves
(NYQ Books) focuses on Gloeggler's relation to an
ex-girlfriend's autistic son and his years of managing group homes for the mentally challenged.
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