Love Letter to Leslie Knope by Hannah Kludy

in my park
a teenager sleeping in the tunnel slide
thankful for shelter even as the plastic drips
with hot missouri condensation
a homeless man bathing in the public restroom
padlock snipped and rusting on the baseball diamond
dandelions cresting the outer rim
a picnicking couple drinking sloppily
from a bottle of rose thirsty
after salty blue cheese smeared on red radishes
tigerlillies peeking
from behind the fountain’s edge where soft water
laps against century old stone
and least of all me tired in need
of some healing and beauty praying
to the only goddess i know
Hannah Kludy (she/her) writes a bunch and cooks almost as much. Her work has been published in magazines such as All the Sins, apt, and 34th Parallel. She lives in Kansas City and spends her time irritating her husband and giving her dogs cream cheese. Twitter: @KludyHannah