the joe pesci of altruism

it's raining outside
like bullshit

a closed fist
at an airport, a terminal
full of hatred

for all the people who aren't
you. patience is a virtue,

kid, but who
has any
these days?

instead, gives a kid a $100

for recognizing him
and then

leaving him
alone

like a home
meant
for no one.

Note: This poem was inspired by this tweet by Rod Blackhurst.

Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Joanna is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015) Marys of the Sea (The Operating System, 2017), Xenos (Agape Editions, 2016), Sexting Ghosts (Unknown Press, 2018), No(body) (Madhouse Press, 2019), and #Survivor (The Operating System, 2020). They are the editor of A Shadow Map: Writing By Survivors of Sexual Assault (CCM, 2017), and received a MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the senior managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine.