Joe Amato

one poem

When I’m Retired I’ll

did you hear what happened to
when we just got back from
and next year we’re going to
but she had a stroke last
and then he died six months
tomorrow my massage therapist
so her daughter started chemo
and later bought a house
for his son and wife who’s
and she died after surgery
for his granddaughter’s birthday
they moved to Florida
but she slipped on the ice and
we put him in hospice
and both died within three
it’s lovely there in the
morning my trainer wants me to
but we don’t like going out too
if we plant the garden before
and my grandson drowned while
but we love not having anywhere to
and we’re busy every day with
or taking a cooking class
when we plan our next trip
we’ve never been so happy

Joe Amato’s most recent novel is Samuel Taylor’s Hollywood Adventure (Bordighera Press, 2018). The poems appearing in House Mountain Review are selections from a new collection of poetry in the works, tentatively Oh my dear.

Contact: joe@joeamato.net