I do what I want. I’m an American—
no asking if he’s happy, not caring
if she’s satisfied. I make my own way
in the world: Kick off the bed covers
or hide under sheets; stay silent or
scream. Maybe all of this. Maybe none.
In America, we’re taught finishing first
is all that matters. Here, selfishness is
not a crime. You can’t depend on anyone
to make you feel good—this is a fact
you learned early, when your parents split,
when Marc Bowman’s ambition
got him caught in a kickball double-play
to end the inning. So you learned to please
yourself—now both explorer and native
land. Discover what you love most
about creation. It is good. It is good. It is—
Say your own name instead of God’s
as you finish.

Marissa Glover teaches and writes in Florida, where she is co-editor of Orange Blossom Review and a senior editor at The Lascaux Review. Marissa’s work recently appeared in Mothers Always Write, Whale Road Review, Fresh Air Poetry, The Cabinet of Heed, and Sweet. Her debut poetry collection, Let Go of the Hands You Hold, is forthcoming from Mercer University Press in 2021. Follow Marissa on Twitter @_MarissaGlover_.