坚持到底 Till The Very End

“They take, as men are wont to do, with zeal”—A. Van Jordan

坚持到底 Till The Very End
Photo by William Daigneault / Unsplash

by Michael Chang


i pray for the ones underpaid & wanting to be slapped

the paramedics w/ shaky hands & hooks in mouths

interns w/ their lanyards, daddy issues & long duk dong


poets messy eaters b/c juice streaking down their chins

poets having good dental b/c always knocking teeth

poets extra tired b/c cocks asleep in jeans


poets improving their cardio b/c hearts swollen tight as fists

poets paying attention b/c—u know—kinda looking around

finding their way, tongues stiff like spit on a wick


trained pink palomino or safecracker’s ear

hair shook loose like linguini

that busted-up cancer sack better not bother me


not here, not now

this band-aid wasn’t made for our kind of flesh

the best part of brain surgery is everyone’s guilty


the train may be delayed but a trip in the gravy boat is good for business

this cruise is gay, it’s the real deal

u have to be lonely enough to slam tequila & raw-dawg it


i’ve considered the details, the quiet classy love-child

found under some branches, cute as a pumpkin

we were canoodling below deck when the weather girls jumped


pull in tighter, get us close

hover over the hotness if u can

how did u chip that tooth, minister


i remember:

save the best for last:

i’m from the government & i’m here to help


Michael Chang (they/them) is the author of Synthetic Jungle (Northwestern University Press, 2023), Toy Soldiers (Action, Spectacle, 2024) & The Heartbreak Album (Coach House Books, 2025). They edit poetry at Fence.