The Adoration
︎︎︎ Cole Henry Forster
︎ Apr 7, 2024
I have obliged her to genuflect,
this Wednesday kid, knees boning
my hardwood, each plank bent
from the distress of a blowjob
half-believed in, a quarter turn of the screw.
Will she stop when she’s gotten what she
wants? Will we have to go to the sink?
What’s the point of washing gifts?
You are making the mushrooms soggy,
I fear they will be soggy. Just brush away the
dirt and imagine—as you are overcome with
calm—how foolish it would be to hail the
Magi, at the manger, and
rush off to rinse their Frankincense
under the tap.
this Wednesday kid, knees boning
my hardwood, each plank bent
from the distress of a blowjob
half-believed in, a quarter turn of the screw.
Will she stop when she’s gotten what she
wants? Will we have to go to the sink?
What’s the point of washing gifts?
You are making the mushrooms soggy,
I fear they will be soggy. Just brush away the
dirt and imagine—as you are overcome with
calm—how foolish it would be to hail the
Magi, at the manger, and
rush off to rinse their Frankincense
under the tap.
Cole Henry Forster is a poet living in Ottawa. His most recent chapbook, Western Love Songs, was released this year by Cactus Press in Montreal.
Also by Cole: RE-UPLOAD