my bladder or my soul

the thought that cruelty may lie inside the heart next to devotion

the nagging realization that the world my sons inherited 
will need more repairing than the one my father left me

the counting of dear friends who left us
or chose some form of silence to stay among us

wondering if birds would remain flying
if they thought at the same time that they could fly

considering the irony of traveling as far from what was evil 
and stumble into its familiar face exactly where i live

the mane of a dictator dyed in colors that don't exist in nature
what lies beneath the mane
the creature itself

my soul more than my bladder
my sons more than my soul

my wife breathing next to me
my wife next to me

her breath

Juan Pablo Mobili is a poet born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who was adopted by New York over forty years ago. He has published two chapbooks, the first of which he did when he was 18 and the second one, a collection of poems written with fellow poet Madalasa Mobili, was published after he became a grandfather. He has published poems, articles and essays in books and journals in Europe and the Americas. He lives in the Hudson Valley, travels often, and he’s currently working on a new book of poems and a collection of essays on the intersection of poetry & leadership.