LIKE A KNIFE

if you
told me
ten
years ago
that I’d
become
the most
boring
sack of shit
imaginable
I would have
had
something
witty
to say

CONSIDER THE TONGUE HELD

she told me she had gotten herself
a case of cancer today
and thank god it wasn’t in person
I have a hard enough time typing
empty condolences and hope
without having to look someone in the eye
and she doesn’t believe me anyway
won’t accept my optimistic spill
I told her my aunt did fine
went into remission and lived no worries
she reminded me it killed my mom
thanks for that
so I asked her if she had insurance
said she couldn’t afford it so
I asked her what she was going to do
and her reply was that she’d just die
so I bit my tongue at the young republican
but all I wanted to ask was
still hate public health care?

GLITTER

They are pretty, and their legs are long. They sway like dainty gazelle, leather hooves clopping steadily on the sidewalk. Their carefully decorated ears pick up even the sound of your head swiveling to watch them, their walk is expertly concentrated and each cheek lifts and lowers of its own accord. Their place is among the waxed cars and designer stores, and god help you if they catch you staring. Mascara coated cobra eyes threaten to coil up and destroy any ounce of self respect residing within this husk given the slightest provocation, so I check my eyes to the asphalt and watch glitter fall to the pavement.

THE DREAM

almost everyone I grew up with
always talked about leaving
portland mostly
the hipster mecca
but most of us are still here
i talked about leaving, too
but what else is really out there
another place to be unsatisfied with
more people with the same problems
other boring jobs with dick managers
i’m not entirely sure
the american dream is still out there
just more grass is greenery
latent drug and emotional problems
early pregnancies and proof
your mother really was right
and I reaffirm for myself
alcoholism is a disease
you can’t get angry for having

(Shannon Peil gets published some places and rejected from others. He edits for people who know what they are doing at http://amphibi.us.)