Brent DeLanoy

She approves
of my filthy
language,

of pop-tart lunches
and fogged car windows.

She pays for the cotton candy —
insists on a fresh cloud from the bowl.

The kid in the booth,
blue stripe on his paper hat,
blinded by carnival lights,
gets it for her.

BRENT DELANOY received his MFA from New Mexico State University in 2006. His work has appeared in several journals in print and online and his novella, “Benediction,” won the A.E. Coppard Prize in 2008. He currently teaches at Hartwick College in upstate New York.