Somewhere, in a land where untold stories
wrap themselves around
impatient and waiting eyes,
there is a movie
where Michael’s heart breaks.
Where his hired killer balks,
and Death himself refuses to shoot.
Where Fredo lives.
Where he sits, rocking
in an empty canoe, whispering
Hail Marys to the rhythm of the murmuring waves
gently bumping up against the side
of his boat. The sun
is shining, an hour before sunset,
dinner has been started, and he can already
smell the garlic
out over the water.
When he looks to the shore, his brother
stands there, watching
calmly, and with a smile.
In 2012, I was awarded my MFA by Rutgers-Camden, where I received a Rutgers University Trustee’s Fellowship; currently, I am working as an adjunct English professor at CCP. During my time at school, I was also an intern at The New Yorker Magazine. I am a long time activist, community organizer, and slam poet, and have had poetry and memoir published in such journals as Arts & Letters, Conspire, and Apiary.