portion of the artwork for JR Walsh's poetry

Wooing the family
JR Walsh

Without a muscle I made a rusty couch
levitate for your father, mother & brother.
They didn’t know my desire to impregnate
anyone in spitting distance & I didn’t squeak.

Silent, I forged a flower without speaking
origami, & you danced your paper heart out
& everyone ate gravy boats of fried ravioli:
the official food of love in college towns.

You didn’t inherit your father’s mustache
but your mother insisted there’s still time
& while we’re at it, disappear that couch.

All our parents snuck into creaky springs.
Poof! Siblings all moved to New York City
& we got voted most likely to procreate.


Return to Archive




FRiGG: A Magazine of Fiction and Poetry | Issue 56 | Fall/Winter 2020