Deliriums

by Jeremy Radin

---

I am better than everyone.
The lupine today, blooming
finally, & it is because
of me—I am the god
of blooming things.
For me alone the face 
of the house finch
is stained magenta & magenta
adjusts itself to be more
the color I’m trying to think of.
For me the baby’s breath
foams from the mouth of the vase
like breath from the mouth of a baby,
for me, the god of babies.
Bear witness. Behold & bless
the rods & cones built
for the purpose of building
my image in your eye.
For I am better than time & candles
& horses & saltwater taffy.
Better than courage
& bobbing for apples.
Everything touches me
to better know itself.
This is not a riddle.
There is no speaker.
My name is Jeremy Radin
& I am better than Jeremy Radin
who is better than what
has already been mentioned.
I am better than I was
& better than I am going to be.
For who else has hands
as large as these? Who else 
has outmaneuvered 
the earwigs? Who else 
has become a god
so patient, waiting 
in such devoted silence,
waiting to take 
his own emptiness 
into his arms?

---

Jeremy Radin is a poet, actor, playwright, teacher, and extremely amateur gardener. His poems have appeared (or are forthcoming) in Ploughshares, The Colorado Review, Crazyhorse, Gulf Coast, The Journal, and elsewhere. He is the author of two collections of poetry: Slow Dance with Sasquatch (Write Bloody Publishing, 2012) and Dear Sal (not a cult press, 2017). He was born and lives in Los Angeles where he earned his MFA in Eating Large Sandwiches at Brent’s Delicatessen. Follow him @germyradin