Adultery I’d bang them out, wine-drunk and excited, and send them off to magazines. I had two lists; ones which liked me and ones I liked, and I’d fire them unedited like a shotgun scaring birds. each one 5 times to 5 different places. then I’d wait for any to come back. in general it started with rejections; […]
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Open Eyes Laid Back By Michael Lee Johnson Open eyes, black-eyed peas, laid back busy lives, consuming our hours, handheld devices grocery store “which can Jolly Green Giant peas, alternatives, darling, to bring home tonight- these aisles of decisions.” Mind gap: “Before long apps will be wiping our butts and we, others, our children will not notice.” No worries, […]
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HAILSTORM OF HELLFIRE One hour dissolves degradingly into the next And my eyes burn with dead sunlight and my own dusty misery As I wait in helpless spiritual poverty For whatever new hailstorm of hellfire Is next to knock on my door. My dignity has been taken. My children are being stolen. Each day my recovery takes more from me. […]
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Magic and in concert with you replenish as I dip I was walking through Chinatown the other day, down by the Bowery, and I stopped on a corner, at Avenue of the Strongest. I saw an espresso bar across the street. As I was contemplating what drink to get, it hit me upside the head. I stood there, mouth probably […]
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CRESCENT MOON You reside In this room That stinks Like moonlight And me. Crescent Moon Pries as She is wont To do In rooms That stink Like her light, Where only Silence Is Uttered, Sharper than The silver Flashing In my hair.
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Life Science If only I was older, wiser than gapped tooth, golden haired twenty-two, I wouldn’t have wondered, what whiskered man is this? His hair like a peppered moth, he sat stubbing cigarette butts into the ancient ruins of the bar ash tray. There was a familiarity in the corner creases of his brown eyes. I could smell the paste […]
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Persona non Grata To the not good enough comments, I say, psshhhhhh. That was last week, a hundred years ago. Easily. I’m flushing, rinsing down the last backwash of badly- formed words. This week is triumph, so don’t mind that shadow you noticed last week. He has bloomed like a perrenial and will be back soon.
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Poem By SIMON PERCHIK * Louder! though what comes by has already withered and along a certain curve your voice tapers off as the path bent over her shoulders spreading its flow into sunlight now riverbank and whisper –you need two mouths now that every splash smells from stones once it rises to the surface in that […]
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The Song of Songs FEAR FEAR FOR THE CHILDREN FIND FLIGHT FOR THEM ALL AND OTHERS AND SWEEP FOR SOLOMON AND HIS ANCESTORS AND FIGHT FOR HIS DAUGHTERS AND SONS. THOSE WHO THINK OF LOVE AND REDEMPTION THOSE WHO SPEAK OF HEARTS AND WOE THOSE WHO THRIVE FROM SCATTERING PETALS THOSE WHO SHINE WITH GUTTURAL GRIEF. SO […]
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Big Bang for Little Billy This was the first Christmas Billy was old enough to speak when he saw his gifts under the sparkling tree. His parents were waiting to hear what he’d say. Billy laughed and jumped and clapped his hands. With a big smile, he shouted “Santa brought me these!” Then Daddy picked Billy up, bounced him on his knee and whispered […]
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