Merritt Cates, Briar Cur detail (handcut lithography installation)
My grandma used Cheetos
and Capri Suns to bribe me
to go to church.
We’d sit and stare at things
and fake religion.
I couldn’t stand the smell
of incense but
I strangely looked forward to it,
like people often do
when it comes to strange smells.
After grandma passed away, I dug around
for photos of her and realized
every time I had posed for a picture
I was reminding someone
in the future that I died.
Six weeks ago driving through Arizona
I found a road near Flagstaff:
"Devil Dog Road."
Below the sign was a dead golden retriever
lacquered with flies.
I pulled over and snapped a picture
because somebody had to.