John Dorsey
Disability in the Age of Disco: The New Hope
in 1977 they kept me in a heated machine
meant for a creature the size of a baby bird
i weighed just over three pounds
& cried through the night
a few weeks out of the hospital
my parents took me
to the drive in
to see star wars
as palm trees swayed
above my head
they were young
& just happy
that i was alive
& everything else
seemed liked a galaxy
far far away.
John Dorsey lived for several years in Toledo, Ohio. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including Teaching the Dead to Sing: The Outlaw's Prayer (Rose of Sharon Press, 2006), Sodomy is a City in New Jersey (American Mettle Books, 2010), Tombstone Factory, (Epic Rites Press, 2013), Appalachian Frankenstein (GTK Press, 2015) Being the Fire (Tangerine Press, 2016) and Shoot the Messenger (Red Flag Press, 2017) and Your Daughter's Country (Blue Horse Press, 2019). His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He may be reached at archerevans@yahoo.com.