Forgive me when I praise my wealth
of aspects not yet praised:
aches in back, ankles, knees
of which I complain
to have something to say
when conversations come to me;
the tornado that leapt me,
a last-minute pardon,
its straight-line downdrafts
painting a swirling mural
of muted colors;
all advances I missed
while locked in a cell
so I stepped from that time machine
into a shocking future of fascination;
the comets hidden by city clouds;
the women & men I didn’t love
while too afraid of their touch I craved.
Praise my pain & fear.
Praise absences, no-
second-chances.
Praise cuisines I’ve never tasted.
Praise suffering & praise contempt.
Not once have I praised my awfulness.
I praise it now & know this brings me peace.
Ace Boggess is author of six books of poetry, most recently Escape Envy. His writing has appeared in Indiana Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Notre Dame Review, Hanging Loose, and other journals. An ex-con, he lives in Charleston, West Virginia, where he writes and tries to stay out of trouble. His seventh collection, Tell Us How to Live, is forthcoming in 2024 from Fernwood Press.
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