Elias Johnson

Hucksters

my dad always wanted to be his dad
but he wasn’t supposed to be
 
his dad, who rummaged through scrap piles,
exposing himself to unknown toxins
that would spread throughout his body
killing him halfway through his fifties
 
my dad works nights as a glorified
McAfee program for the Army
my dad, though, was never much of a scrapper
scrappy, though, he is
 
he should’ve been Roy Cohn,
that legal Grim Reaper,
arguing and berating
until the day he died
 
yes, that would’ve fit my father.
and his unacknowleged son.