Field Service

As a boy, I went door to door
with my mother and grandmother.
At first, I only knocked, played
my part as mascot, but later
I did more.

My mother, thinner then
before three knee surgeries,
and my grandmother, always
wearing her straw hat—they did
the talking when I was a boy.

My mother, firm and intimidating,
greeted every open door
with a wide smile and two magazines—
Watchtower and Awake.

I remember the clip-on ties,
penny loafers, and small leather
briefcase my mother bought
so I could look the part.

I can’t quite remember when I first
started to speak at the door—
wave my hand at the homeowners.
We bring you good news, I must’ve said.

*

Jalen Eutsey is a poet, book reviewer, and sportswriter from Miami, Florida. He earned a B.A. in English from the University of Miami and an M.F.A. in Poetry from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. His work has been published in Into the Void, Northern Virginia Review, Florida Review Online, Cellpoems, and others. He lives in Baltimore.