In the Break Room at the Medical Billing Office, a poem by Dave Malone

In the Break Room at the Medical Billing Office 

Justine hems pants 

on her coffee break

and won’t finish a seam

on an odd-number

and has to start over

if the sewing lottery 

spits out

an uneven count.

When I ask her about 

the child’s pants she sews,

she tells me, grandparenting

is the only thing. 

I think she believes it right then

as she weaves the stars

with her tiny needle,

lost there like God. 

- Dave Malone

Dave Malone is a poet and screenwriter from the Missouri Ozarks. He holds degrees from Ottawa University and Indiana State University. A three-time Pushcart nominee, he is the author of eight poetry collections, most recently Bypass (Aldrich Press, 2023). His work has been featured on NPR and appeared in Midwest Review, Fourteen Hills, and Red Rock Review. He can be found online at davemalone.net and on TikTok @poetmalone.