David B. Prather
Shouting at an Empty House
ISBN: 979-8-9873058-8-1
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David B. Prather is the author of three poetry collections: We Were Birds (Main Street Rag, 2019), Shouting at an Empty House (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2023), and the forthcoming Bending Light with Bare Hands (Fernwood Press, 2024). His work has appeared in many publications, including New Ohio Review, Prairie Schooner, Poet Lore, The Comstock Review, etc. He lives in Parkersburg, WV. Website: www.davidbprather.com
Maturity
The year I turned 18, I got drunk
on Mad Dog and Boone’s Farm.
I found false happiness,
regretted it, then drank again.
The year I turned 18, I signed up
for conscription, even though I hate war,
and sometimes where I come from.
I went to the post office
and signed away my life,
which the military didn’t want.
And when I turned 18,
I stepped up for my diploma
as half the graduating class yelled faggot!
I didn’t even know the pleasures,
of being with another man, yet,
almost like making love to myself.
Almost like loving myself.
When I legally became a man,
which came after I could have fathered
a child, but before I could think
and feel the depth of adult emotions,
I didn’t know a milestone felt like nothing
but walking through air. And the clouds
I used to walk upon, how thin,
yet so full and precipitous.
