Jerry Roscoe is the author of two collections of poetry, The Unexamined Life (Custom Words, 2007) and Mirror Lake, contained in Two Midwest Voices (Bottom Dog Press, 2001), which won the Ohioana Book Award for 2002.  Mr. Roscoe is also the author of a chapbook, S-E-X (Pudding House, 2006). 

He is the recipient of two Individual Artist Fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council and his poem, “Illustration” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2006.  His poem, “Adequate Love” was read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer’s Almanac (Sept. 2, 2007). 

For ten years, Jerry Roscoe was poetry reviewer for The Columbus Dispatch.  He has published widely in literary journals such as: the New England Review, The Ohio Review, The South Carolina Review, The Madison Review, 5AM, The Cincinnati Review, and The Louisville Review.

ADEQUATE LOVE

My son cries

Until I zip him into the denim pouch

That ties around my back like an apron.

Inside, with only his dreams,

He can believe life is still perfect.

But as I work, his forehead knocks against

My breastbone, reminding him this world

Is hard. All we have

Is the musculature of words

To protect the notion.

His eyes open on

Warmed, reconstituted powdered formula,

A plastic pacifier, adequate love

To wean him away from heaven.

©Jerry Roscoe

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