May the sound of my breakfast dishes being placed in the sink
be louder than memories of your father telling you
he’d love you even when, not if, you fail.
May it drown out the sounds of him rewrapping
your Christmas presents each year so you can
open them again and again, feigning surprise
under the tree at each grandparent’s house.
May you not hear your mother arguing
with the social worker or your older brother.
May you be allowed the focus of the protected
as you scour the job postings before lunch,
even if you must create that protection yourself
like a parrotfish safe inside
a sleeping bag of its own design.
About as Close as My Husband’s Ever Going to Get to a Love Poem
Jennifer Schomburg Kanke’s work has recently appeared in New Ohio Review, Massachusetts Review, Shenandoah, and Salamander. She is a winner of a Sheila-Na-Gig Fiction Award and her poetry collection about a resistant and resilient housewife in mid-20th century Appalachia, The Swellest Wife Anyone Ever Had, is now available from Kelsay Books. Her poetry collection centered on her experiences with ovarian cancer, Little Stone, Little Stone, is forthcoming in 2026 from Sheila-Na-Gig Editions. She can be found hosting the Meter Cute Interview series on the Meter&Mayhem Substack and YouTube channel. She serves as a member of the board of Anhinga Press.