PSALM FOR END TIMES

 Kevin Norwood

The clown came out to warn the public; they thought

it was a joke and applauded.

       Kierkegaard

I cannot be bothered. I doubt everything.

I lack the courage to know anything.

The plans I make undo me. I cannot make

myself what I would or would not be.

I act and regret it. I do not act and regret it. 

I act and do not act and regret it.

Sorrow is my comfort.

I entered the world crying. I will not return from the dead. 

I did not choose to enter life. I cannot choose not to leave.

A clown will interrupt the show to warn me.

I will think he is part of the act and applaud.

He will warn me again and I will clap louder. 

That is how it will end: I will think it is a joke.

I ask that you laugh with me.

                                    Selah

Kevin Norwood is the winner of The Porch Poetry Prize 2020. He is published or pending in Litbreak, The Magnolia Review, Nashville Review, Natural Bridge, Tulane Review, Wild Goose Poetry Review, and studied creative writing with Peter Taylor and John Casey. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Virginia, he is a long-time corporate attorney with a law degree from William & Mary. He obtained Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in English from the University of Virginia. He is the father of two and currently lives with his wife in Brentwood, TN.