oh it’s…wait. no, it’s… what the fuck is this?
who the fuck is this? who? no. fuck that. fuck
him. this is Tracy Chapman’s song! TRACY
CHAPMAN! what…!? Google her right now. get out
your phones and play her shit right damn now! hear
that? you feel that? that’s rhythm and tension
and passion and soul and vibrato and
what y’all should mean when you say vibes. fuck him
with the frayed edges of broken guitar
strings coiled around sandpaper picks. all this
I said in my heart, curled up in a ball
between the trash can and door, while slowly
rocking—a thumb in my mouth—a forlorn,
soulful, twang-less tune, sobbing in my head.
on hearing Luke Comb’s cover of “Fast Car” for the first time, over the P.A., as students walked into my class
Matthew E. Henry (MEH) is an educator, essayist, and the author of seven poetry collections, including the forthcoming Promises to Keep (Wayfarer Books, 2026). He’s editor-in-chief of The Weight Journal and nonfiction editor at Porcupine Literary. MEH’s publications include Barren Magazine, Had, Massachusetts Review, Mom Egg Review, Ploughshares, Stone Circle Review, Terrain, Whale Road Review, The Worcester Review, and Zone 3. MEH earned an MFA yet continued to spend money he didn’t have completing an MA in theology and a PhD in education. He writes about education, race, religion, and burning oppressive systems to the ground at www.MEHPoeting.com.