To the dumpster in the alley
behind the Salvation Army,
the blue one for donations
of clothing, someone had taped
a scarecrow on his pole
who’d seen better days,
missing an eye, starved for straw,
hands bound together
in supplication. I tried
to picture who built
the crucifix whose martyr
begged in light snow
not to be forsaken
or ever thrown away.

 

 

 

Mark Jackley is the author of several chapbooks, most recently Every Green Word (Finishing Line Press), and a full-length collection, There Will Be Silence While You Wait (Plain View Press). His work has appeared in Rougarou, Sugar House Review, Pebble Lake Review, and other journals. He lives in Sterling, VA.