Ben Kline
​Image by Leandro De Carvalho on Pixabay                                                                                     
Ben Kline (he/him) lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Author of the chapbooks Sagittarius A* and Dead Uncles, Ben was the 2021 recipient of Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry. His work is forthcoming or can be found in Southeast ReviewTHRUSHCutBankOlney Magazinefourteen poemsThe Indianapolis ReviewLimp WristHobart and many other publications. You can read more at https://benklineonline.wordpress.com/.
Testament 


My will says set me afire 

until I'm atomic. 
Neutron femurs,

my tongue a quark. 
Leave no doubt.

My estate remains 
a box, tape uncut,

label blank, a plume
from the glue. I arrange 

my chairs at the table corners,
utensils in squares and no napkins,

no plates. A vigil for won’t,

the candles unlit
like a seance without chant.

Even eyes lie 
with the help

of flicker reflected
off surfaces missing nostrils, 

sea foam, obvious
teeth. They too should stretch

violet to red, radio maybe,
up out past ozone

to the oldest waves
washing Earth, 

washing us back to the stars. 

Don’t open the box. 
It’s of my hand. Burn it 

above lava. I won’t 
scream. I’ll leave no doubt: 

they’ll take me and begin again.



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