by Will Russo
Beloved Son
Be loved son. Be true
and please be well.
Befall a walled-in spell,
ensconce a purple
and red. Palm
to the back of the head.
Shove. Spines
twist natural into
surrender, prostrate
to bow—recline
in beer and dander.
Beheld and beyond
exposed brick, your
leatherback chair,
let me love there is
a you, blatant and scared.
And please be well.
Crushes
Nasty girls after your hair
your knees your balls.
Braces caught in the lips, barrettes in knots,
no one could love you.
Social studies. Earth science. Misplaced taped-
back-together glasses.
Healthy appetites, no splints
for the gullet. No conditioners for the coarse.
Rumors messengers
spread on the astroturf.
The play of the day.
Boys running to the far end.
****
Will Russo is the author of two chapbooks: Dreamsoak (Querencia Press, 2023) and Glass Manifesto, winner of the 2023 Rick Campbell Chapbook Award from Anhinga Press. Recent work has appeared in Seaford Review, Dialogist, and Burial Magazine. He serves as poetry reviews editor at Another Chicago Magazine and received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.