“Sketch of a Poem in 10 Broken Lines” by Henry Crawford

Sketch of a Poem in 10 Broken Lines

I don’t want you to
look at these lines as tercets.
There are only ten

words in this poem.
They go flush left down the page.
Each word breaks its own

line. [he] is on top,
a man and I was a boy.
Then [took] and next [me]

down [to] [the] [movies].
Just off forty-second street
so crazy back [then].

My loose-leaf sheets were
out of order. Owing [to]
missing so much school.

I was alone and
just [his] above the last line
[hotel]. Close the door.

henry crawford

Henry Crawford is a poet whose work has appeared in several journals and online publications including Boulevard, Copper Nickel, Folio, Borderline Press, The Offbeat, and The Metaworker. He was a 2016 Pushcart nominee. His first collection of poetry, American Software, was published in 2017 by CW Books. His poem, “Blackout,” was selected by the Southern Humanities Review as a finalist in the 2018 Jake Adam York Witness Poetry Contest. His website is HenryCrawfordPoetry.com.

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