4

Thomas Fucaloro

 

Holding the Knife

There’s murder in my heart and all I can taste is cinnamon

Illuminated in my stomach a matchstick and a photograph of you

A summer moon heavy and deep

There’s murder in my heart and all I can see is what I have been left with

I hate the smell of apple vinegar but it’s the only way to get you out of my clothes

There’s murder in my heart, it lives in my tote bag, your fingerprints on the walls

One person’s evidence is another’s work of art

There’s mother in my heart and I haven’t thought of her since my Confirmation

There’s mother in my heart and I know she would be proud of me

There’s murder in my heart and she is holding a knife

There’s mother in my heart and she is holding me

 

 

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The winner of a performance grant from the Staten Island Council of the Arts and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Thomas Fucaloro has been on six national slam teams. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the New School and is a co-founding editor of Great Weather for Media and NYSAI press. He is an adjunct professor at Wagner College and BMCC where he teaches world lit and advanced creative writing.