Category: Poetry and Prose
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My Old Friends
On weekends, I go to barrooms and see my old friends. We stare at each other behind various colors of glass. I have a memory with each one. Good ones. I remember the ones I loved most. And I recall quickly which ones I only tolerated. Every once in a while, I feel their invitation…
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As I Lie Here Alone
As I lie here alone, sometimes I think about the little boy from Racine who used to do the same. That kid would be in his bed dreaming without sleeping. He’d say things he’d hoped one day to repeat to his kids. He wondered who he would marry some day, and if it was the…
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Thank you for not eating my head.
I try really hard, every time I remember you, to think of some sweet thing I remember you’d do. But, unfortunately, there’s not enough memory to illuminate more cave paintings of a happy you and me. Instead, I think about how every female praying mantis chomps away at the head of her caught, hopeless romantics…
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Human Heat
There is no reason why you and I happen to collide other than that there is limited space we both occupy. It’s not a magnetic pull or even Love working its will. It’s just that your warmth is as comforting as raindrops on a windowsill. I don’t love you; You don’t love me. We just…
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The Almighty starts over
The Almighty watched as his first creation killed itself in front of Him. The populations of all of the collective worlds in its closely-clustered galaxies inflicted nothing but war and other horrors on each other at the end of its life. And to be honest, a small part of Him felt relief seeing it go…
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The Recluse
Steam rises from the blue coffee cup, the liquid inside a caramel-colored blend of sugar and cream that matches the tone of the hand holding the handle. He looks out the back window over the sink as Gatsby, his mid-sized furry companion, waits patiently for him to put bits of meat in his bowl and…
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Naked and Neutral
The dying man Didn’t care about The outward terror Of his time This pervasive sense Of hopelessness like Chipping away at a million-dollar debt With paychecks of nickel and dime No, his mind, Most likely lost In some memory, Seeks a sign Or a hand On his shoulder Straightening him out So he can walk…
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You’ll never know how hard I try.
The countless hours I’ve spent exercising to burn off anxious energy to feel calm again. Medication I swallow each day in order to keep me from panic. Pills that if I don’t take them, the consequences are severe. The various stints I’ve spent in counseling. The time sitting in groups or AA meetings seeking help.…
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A Dream of Death and You
It’s me. Don’t hang up. Just give me like, maybe 5 minutes or so here. I swear that’s all I need. I need to tell you about this dream I had. … Yes, I know it’s stupid, but will you listen to it anyway? … Fine. Deal. All good? … Good. So, in the…
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Surrender, at last
I am not the indifferent center of the world. That’s simply something I can never truly be. Rather, the truth is I care about things — probably way too much. So, I worry about the people I care about. I even wonder if the strangers that I see on the street are being taken care…