Neuse River

Tell them not to go

to the banks alone.

Tell them where

they can drink

without watching

over their shoulders.

Tell them drowning

is third on your list

of concerns.

First is lie down,

second, come here.

Even the water

I was baptized in

isn’t safe.

I knew God

was a man

because he put

a baby in Mary

without her

permission.

“Neuse River” first appeared in American Poetry Review (APR).