November 23, 2025
Raphael Jenkins
Raphael prefers to go by Ralph, he feels it suits him better and he’s heard every Ninja Turtle joke ever uttered. He is the author of the debut poetry collection Paper Pistol (University of Arkansas Press, 2026), selected by Patricia Smith as a finalist for the 2026 Miller Williams poetry prize.
the fact that I will someday be one of his memories
begins echoing in my head loud as a storm siren.
My boy’s voice becomes a spore in my tornado
of alternate endings. & this is not the time. Not as
he tells me the octopus has three hearts, swinging his legs
& grinning like fields of wheat wave & smile at the sun.
I’m excited for the day when my kid reads one of my poems and starts asking questions. I am always endeavoring to write poems that offer my boy permission to be himself, likely because I wish someone had done the same for me.