Paul Koniecki
TARMAC SACRIFICE

tarmac is defined as
the moon sitting on
the side of the
world in a dead
thing's eyes silent as
embarrassment against a shock
of wheat and wild-grass
surprised it has been
tamed by the department
of transportation or the
material used for surfacing
roads consisting of crushed
rock mixed with molten
tar and smelling this
road's fresh and acrid
coat i remember my
father's mother forgetting his
birthday repeatedly and his
brothers mocking him and
i remember walking home
with timmy neuman from
the greenfield park swimming
pool one extra hot
summer's day popping asphalt
bubbles with our toes
and my father irate
with the prospect of
cleaning the impenetrable mess
as the sun set
and the heat rose
in our garage and
he removed my feet
with a metal wire
brush and turpentine and
i reached up and
touched his enraged face
and felt the red
childhood home of tears

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Based in Dallas, Paul Koniecki's latest books of poetry are, "After Working Hours" from NightBallet Press and "Reject Convention" by KleftJaw Press. His poems appeared in the Richard Bailey directed movie, "One of the Rough" AVFF Cannes at the Berlin Experimental Film Festival in December of 2016.