The following is a series of blackout poems in which the base text is a letter from the U.S. Government instructing me to register for the Selective Service after legally changing my sex from female to male, or face prosecution. These poems were created the old fashioned way, on physical paper with a big Sharpie.
Benjamin Anthony Rhodes
Selective Service I
Selective Service II
Selective Service III
Selective Service IV
Selective Service V
[about]
Benjamin Anthony Rhodes is a queer and trans poet living in Northeast Ohio. He holds an MFA from Kent State University and a BA in English from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Benjamin carries on his mother’s legacy by teaching reading and writing to students of all age levels. His work can be found in Cleveland Review of Books, Surging Tide, LimpWrist, and Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology. His poem “Elliot Page Just Came Out as Trans” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Drunk Monkeys in 2022.
You can tip Benjamin on Venmo: @Benjamin-Rhodes-12
Fish Barrel Review 