Cain
My father was born with
a silver spoon in his mouth.
Mother too. They had no idea
just how good they had it.
A couple of bad decisions
and it was gone.
My brother and I went to work.
Commodities. Wheat, rice,
livestock. Whatever.
What can I tell you?
One day he just
doesn’t show up.
It was hard at first,
without him. But business
is business. I believe in doing
whatever it takes. Eventually,
I made a killing.
Matthew Sisson’s poetry has appeared in journals ranging from Harvard Review Online to The Journal of the American Medical Association. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and read his work on NPR’s On Point. His First book, Please, Call Me Moby, was published by the Pecan Grove Press, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas.