after Molly Brodak

Am I a good man?
I gave the dog a bone
& he choked on it.
I ripped the red drum
from the river
pulled the hook
from its gasping gills
& threw it back.
When my party got rained out
as a child I held my knife
to the clouds
till I cut heaven in half.
I’ve never done
even one single thing by myself
but I wrote a poem
only in first person.
I think I love me
I say again & again.
This is love. It’s hooked
in my throat. I can’t tell
if it hurts worse to wrench it out
or leave it alone