I Never Covered Your Ears by Christopher Lettera

I never palmed the sides of your head
the way my father held my mother’s,
kneeling before her loveseat to say,
“I love you.” I just said it every time

I left your place and sometimes out of
nowhere for good measure – the middle
of the night, your form curled into mine,
and always then you would return the

syllables, but not anymore, and now that
my cat bookmark is done getting lost in
your bed sheets and you’ve left me for an
angry white rapper, I say it stupidly, still,

in remembrance, unmuted: “I loved you.”



Christopher Lettera teaches poetry writing and fiction writing at Youngstown State University. His poetry has appeared in 4th and Sycamore and The Drabble. His fiction has appeared in Crack the Spine, Jersey Devil Press, Literary Orphans, and Postcard Shorts. He has been twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize.