Responsibility
Stephen Mainard
for Zoe Mornhinweg
Have faith in your mother
and compromise all personal extremes.
Do nothing that’s exaggerated
enough to be noticed
outside of nature.
Our city park is common
but durable. There’s a right amount
of shade and litter.
The wind pushes
a reliable, rusting swing set.
In public
it’s best to stay
in the hinges of beauty.
Stephen Mainard has work forthcoming or appearing in Boog Lit, Near South, Pudding House, Poetrymotel, Main Street Rag and White Pine Press. He was the assistant editor of Pavement Saw Press from 1999-2003. He now teaches and lives in Dayton, OH.