IMG_1424-2, Aiello
Tanka for Sizing Up Manhood
Your roar left its mark,
intended, I’m sure. Callous
choice, assaulting peace,
killing transcendent, quiet
talk. Ego zooming beyond
decent boundaries.
What pat on the back were you
starved for as a kid
that propels this screeching need
to announce yourself, to pierce
equanimity
with vulgar speed and racket?
You think you’re hot, blasting down
Reed Market Road, risking all
in your souped-up, sleek chassis.
Do you have a clue
how naked you are? When next
you hit the floorboard, think what’s
grandly broadcast with VAROOM:
a child’s display of smallness.
Carol Barrett has published three volumes of poetry, most recently READING WIND, and one of creative nonfiction, PANSIES. An NEA Fellow in Poetry, Carol has lived in nine states and in England. She has taught creative writing to students ranging from kindergarten to doctoral studies, and currently supervises creative dissertations at Antioch University and Saybrook University.
Vanessa Aiello is a photographer and writer from Springfield, Massachusetts. Vanessa Aiello was recently named the Intercollegiate Poet of Regis College and published in MassPoetry’s Future in Verse. She was also published in ArtWife and CoolBeansLit for her photography. She recently graduated from Regis College in May of 2024 with a B.A in Secondary Education and English and a minor in Writing. She is currently a special education English teacher. Photography has always been one of her greatest passions.