By Patrick Theron Erickson

of bloodshed
marks my black heart

And the avenger of blood
invades my bloodstream

For I considered
the poor beneath me

And now their blood
cries out from the ground
beneath my feet

Every man’s hand
has a hand in this

who has a free hand
to toss his hat in the ring

and cast the first stone.

Patrick Theron Erickson is a retired parish pastor. He says Secretariat is his mentor, though he has never been an achiever and has never gained on the competition. Patrick’s work has appeared in Former People, Literati Quarterly, Burningword Literary Journal, Crack the Spine, and Grey Sparrow Journal, among other publications.