The Downside of Superpowers
Invisibility makes you aloof,
brute super strength makes you an easy mark
for anyone with trucks to haul, no spark
of gratitude from them. The truth?
Your gift is only special if there’s proof
and ordinary mortals want your work
to entertain them day and night, til dark,
your life a kind of superpower spoof
where all you do is turn them on with speed
or x-ray sight or teleported flesh,
the way you walk through walls or dash through time.
Does anybody care about your needs,
grant you vacation days, an empty beach?
No wonder apathy’s become your crime.
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Allison Joseph lives, writes and teaches in Carbondale, Illinois, where’s she’s part of the creative writing faculty at Southern Illinois University. Her latest books are _My Father’s Kites_ (Steel Toe Press) and _Trace Particles_(Backbone Press).
