My Father Is Dead
Ashley Toliver

I have this dream and everyone I know is there

Ke$ha comes on the radio
and it's a little like in Beetlejuice someone stands up from the table

her hair is long and singing flames above her head her skirt is kindling her ankles my mother is lifting her knees in a jack-knife jig repeating oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh

I have this dream and then another dream

I have this dream it's another dream I am standing in the kitchen with Armistead Maupin we are eating scones with raspberry jam when the telephone rings and it's the hospital it's the morgue and Armistead drops his coffee Armistead screams out,

Michael Toliver lives, can you hear me, the crumbs are falling from his cheeks, he lives
call my publisher, Michael Toliver lives!

1996 © 2010