A blurred church.
A boy in the middle
of a half-finished foyer.
Plaster falls in slow
motion like ash
over rebar crosses.
Boot. Wall. Fist.
Boot. Wall. Fist.
Boot. Wall. Fist.
Dust falls over
the open door,
a silhouette.
The sound of feet
dragging in the dark.
Ray McManus is the author of three books of poetry: Driving through the country before you are born (USC Press 2007), Left Behind (Steeping Stones Press 2008), and Red Dirt Jesus (Marick Press 2011). His poetry has appeared in many journals most recently: Natural Bridge, Barely South, Pea River Review, The Pinch, Hayden’s Ferry, and moonShine Review. Ray is the creative writing director for the Tri-District Arts Consortium in South Carolina, and he is an Assistant Professor of English in the Division of Arts and Letters at University of South Carolina Sumter where he teaches creative writing, Irish literature, and Southern literature. He blogs at http://www.raymcmanuspoetry.com.
Steel Toe Review 