and take a shower and fry up
breakfast we head out to visit
goats you laugh about buying
duck eggs from the farmstand
but don’t we hold baby goats
close to us feel them tremble
like our whole planet now it
starts to hail we wrap shivering
animal-bodies in our layers three
other little goats huddle in a
corner of the barn until their
mother arrives we visit your
friend’s mom she screams then
laughs when she sees your head
poke through the window soon
we’re downtown most shops are
closed because it’s easter we’re
here because it’s passover we get
dim sum they don’t have chili oil
just sriracha we don’t want to
return home so we circle around
around around the block
sentences about our parents
shake out of our mouths this
ghost town vibrates an old man
hums with a layered-up baby
they window-poke around
around around

Alex Baskin is an interfaith hospital chaplain, but not a choir boy. Originally from New Jersey, he lives in Massachusetts.