ELEGY FOR THE UNADOPTED

The homesick sound of rain
suddenly deepens
where the children of no one,

their eyes clotted shut,
crowd a specific corner
to receive fictional new names

if she and I can get there
in time from our apartment
or find someone to ask,

but we can't despite the lease
and the day and the crushed
red velvet of our neighbor's roses.

Howie Good, a journalism professor at SUNY New Paltz, is the author of two poetry chapbooks, Death of the Frog Prince (2004) and Heartland (2007), both from FootHills Publishing His poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals, including Right Hand Pointing, Stirring, Flutter, Inscribed, Why Vandalism?, Raving Dove, New Verse News, Eclectica, Persistent Image, Mad Swirl, The Flask Review, The Rose & Thorn, Juked, The Orange Room Review, and Lily. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2006.

Email: Howie Good

Return to Table of Contents