The Definition of Bravery

By Alisha Goldblatt

Insurrection may take many forms, but
a son rose to full height when

still in plain sight was his
father’s shouting hat and double barrel

shotgun —
nothing but a proxy for his lagging dick —

the very same member,
tip of the spear,

that fertilized the egg
who, once cracked and grown,

weaponized his own cell phone.
Traitors get shot

Dad texted his own children,
swearing the riot was a preface

to lawmakers held by the hair, their
skulls clattering down the granite

steps. This man who had held
his son’s head and studied each

vein and eyelash, hip–checked
all playful, told oil–rig stories.

When parentage sewed him into
a fold, he sliced the stitches clean.