My Career on the Boards

…And then we lay still in our bluestem fortress.
Nearby are headstones, leaning and sinking.
…An apple in hand, a hat that reads SPORT,
“So what are you, really?” he asks like a sphinx.
…………….“That’s,” I laugh, “what the miser said
……………….When sophomore year I played
…………….The cloaked and tight-lipped dead-faced

…Ghost of Christmas Future: Remember my winging,
Straight at Scrooge, one long-nailed finger?”
…A friendly tease is a pleasing thing.
I watch his teeth break the apple’s skin,
…………….And with mineral glamor he arches a brow.
……………….“One year,” I add, “I wore a cloud
…………….Of beard and played the shouting

…Cheddar-loving cruise-ship castaway—”
“Always,” he asks, “bit parts?” “Always,” I say, “a mask”—
…And he kisses me right on the lips. Cottonwood cotton
Drifts on the draft like a pillow’s been shot.
…………….“Once,” I say, “they cast me as ‘singer,’
……………….COUSIN ROY, COUNTRY SINGER
…………….WANNABE.” His smile lingers.

• About
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Jesse Nathan

Jesse Nathan’s poems appear in The Paris Review, Kenyon Review, The Yale Review, and elsewhere. He’s a lecturer in the English Department at UC Berkeley, and lives in Oakland.

Also by Jesse Nathan (see all)

• Swing Song - October 30, 2021
• My Career on the Boards - May 30, 2021

Author: Jesse Nathan

Jesse Nathan’s poems appear in The Paris Review, Kenyon Review, The Yale Review, and elsewhere. He’s a lecturer in the English Department at UC Berkeley, and lives in Oakland. View all posts by Jesse Nathan