UP LATE WATCHING X-MEN FIRST CLASS
for my beloved Bob Sykora
maybe because I’m writing this to you
I’m touched by Xavier telling Raven she never has to steal again this kindness
you taught me it’s okay to feel things in poetry
over Zoom
headphones on
bubbling smile & singsong laugh
you taught me it’s okay to write complete sentences in poetry
would you rather teleport like Nightcrawler
or hunt Nazis like Magneto? would you learn control
like Havok or learn self-acceptance like Beast? we must’ve
maybe in that two-star hotel room in Denver maybe at a party
maybe sweaty & drinking after four hours of basketball
we must’ve had these conversations but I don’t remember
I remember times we’ve gushed over tercets times we’ve
gushed over Frank O’Hara & Ross Gay the time
we accidentally read Homer together
& sure X2 is the best one but First Class is on streaming
& even an eight-hour prairie drive away
let this poem be Xavier saying you never have to insomnia alone again
Chris Corlew is a writer and musician living in Chicago. His work has appeared in Cotton Xenomorph, Whisk(e)y Tit, The Rumen, Moist Poetry Journal, Cracked.com, and elsewhere. He can be found blogging at shipwreckedsailor.substack.com or on Bluesky @thecorlew.