“State Head Case” by Chad Parenteau

State Head Case

In union, me
put
here
with
you
put
together
unglued
I
put
me in union.

America
by
God
not
used
by
anyone
else
except
by
America.

America, no more limits,
have
won’t
cater
to
have
nots
for
I
have
no more limits, America.

Up in space
force
less
stamps,
welfare
force
poor
send
in
force
up in space.

Privates sacred,
your
healthcare
and
also
your
schools
hold
onto
your
sacred privates.

Into space, each child
throwing
their
hat
in
throwing
in
with
us
throwing
each child, into space.

Wall and wall
and
more
miles
taller
and
even
more
powerful
and
wall and wall.

Criminal aliens!
we
make
wall
make
tall
we
colonize
Mars,
we
criminal aliens!

At last standing, our
Prayer
Punished.
Guns,
Glory,
Prayer,
Punished.
Send
Thought
prayer
at our last standing!

Chad Parenteau
2/18/2020

Chad Parenteau is the author of Patron Emeritus, released in 2013 by FootHills Publishing. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Tell-Tale Inklings, Queen Mob’s Tea House, What Rough Beast, The Skinny Poetry Journal, Ibbetson Street, Molecule and Résonance. He serves as Associate Editor of the online journal Oddball Magazine. He has hosted the long-running Stone Soup Poetry series in Boston since 2005. His second full-length collection, The Collapsed Bookshelf, is forthcoming.