"What the Tao Has to Say About Flamingos" by Matthew Broaddus

[audio mp3="http://barnstormjournal.org/content/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Tao-Flamingo.mp3"][/audio] The room is not pink,but the flamingos are,and the longer I balance here,the deeper the tropicsflock to the walls.Plumage clouds the windows.Even the chandelier begins to flutter.I am being receptive, I am being receptive!It’s not working—I’m trying too hard to be receptive.Unconcerned, some flamingos do the lollipopin a huddle of pink dollops.I get lost in the squawking,drink my drink, and forget the names.Everyone knows there are no distinctionsin a room full of flamingos.We strut around all night on spindles.

 Matt Broaddus earned his MFA in poetry from NYU's Creative Writing Program. His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Ghost Ocean Magazine, Leveler, and Switchback. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC, where he is a Ph.D. student in the English department at the University of North Carolina.