A Poem By Amit Majmudar

by Mark Bibbins, Editor

The Star-Spangled Turban

Hot pink frosting
on my chocolate-
cupcake noggin,

switched-on lightbulb-
yellow, tulip-
bulb topheavy

orange, sky-blue,
bruise-blue, navy
thought cloud, darkening:

Any towel,
any shawl will
serve as well to

bind this open
wound atop me,
mark me off as

not quite level-
headed, tops on
any watchlist.

It’s Old Glory
that I choose this
time: I pleat her,

sweep her, set her
on my head as
reverently as

any U.S.
M.C. honor
guard triangle

on a coffin.

Amit Majmudar is a poet, novelist, and essayist whose work appears widely. More information at www.amitmajmudar.com.

You will find more poems here. You may contact the editor at [email protected].