for blankets.

                      Slippery leather seats.

Lord, give me strength.

          Dry cornflakes.

                    Up & down & up

& down & up

         & down the aisles.

                     Jump & you

sit. Dominoes. Ham

         on white bread with mustard.

                     Pulled one at a time

to the bathroom. Mine.

         Dry cornflakes. Up &

                     down & up & down

& up & down. Dunk

         the baby’s diapers

                     in the sink. Mine. Snow.

To the bathroom one

          at a time. Shut up.

                     Corn flakes. Up

& down. Checkers. Stay

         right there. Snow.

                     Big blue shiny

zippered bag.

         Lord, give me

                     strength. Peanuts.

Slippery. Fidget. Clickety-

          clack, the cat came back.

                     No. Up & down &. Picture

books. Shut

         up. Checkers. Loose

                     tooth. Up. Sleep. Big

blue bag. Stay right

         there. Apples. Lord give

                     me strength. Fidget. Playing

cards. Diapers. Saltines.

         Dominoes. Bread. Lord.

                     No. Fidget. Ham

on white. Story

         books. & up &.

                     Diapers. Corn.

Jump. Big

         blue. Dry. Ham.

                     Mine. White. Sit.

Snow. Towels. Lord.

         Slippery. Don’t. Flakes.

                     Dunk. Story. Blue—

Two days. No

         wonder things

                     happened

John Repp’s poems have appeared in recent issues of Poetry, Whirlwind Review, and Slant, among others. His most recent collection is “Big Conneautee”  (Seven Kitchens Press Editors’ Series, 2010).

the way they did later.