——————————————————————–
in a never ending war
mercy, a currency this
world no longer accepts
yet still pushes salvation,
but at what cost
forced to believe in a god
that only listens to the rich
sell the poor that prayer is
hope, but hope has never
paid the rent, bought the
pills for a sick child or
pumped gas in a never
ending war
reality is never as bleak
as it seems
sadly, the fantasy never
is as brilliant either
this is the underbelly
of what happens when
you allow others to
live your dreams
but keep pumping
out the kids
let them try to survive
when artificial intelligence
is teaching them how to
speak english
no better here in the
margins of life
on more storm away
from a biblical flood
have to burn the cross
to keep warm
————————————————-
sipping on a bourbon
when i first heard the song
misguided angel by cowboy
junkies i always thought
that was going to be a song
some woman would dedicate
to me one day
i’m still waiting
sipping on a bourbon as
i wait for life to catch up
to my impending death
what am i going to do
with no soccer games
on everyday…
spain made some old guy
from argentina cry
it happens
hoping i can drink myself
to sleep tonight
only for a few hours
the rain will wake
me up, remind my
body that arthritis
runs the fucking
show now
———————————————————
starting to fade
it was one of those nights
i thought about the lesbian
and how she tasted on
my tongue
all these years later
memories starting
to fade
i’m sure her wife has
made sure i never
existed in the first
place
another round of
thunderstorms
coming tonight
i’ll put on prince just
for shits and giggles
i showed her one night
where her g spot was
two weeks later she
broke up with me
no longer needed me
i supposed
she could have at least
paid me back the two
grand she owed me
karma still dances
at the club
——————————————————-
what could go wrong
i never wanted to grow
old and still be single
i can hear my inner child
laughing, recalling the
failed suicide attempts
not sure if any of the old
girlfriends ever wanted
to marry me or even
wanted to ever see
me again
i have been tempted
to move to someplace
completely foreign
to me
what could go wrong
but part of me knows
this is the life of a
creative soul
we drive everyone
away with the scary
word of genius
why success never
feels real
and why so many of us
can only die when we
will allow it
one of those nights where
drinking yourself blind
is certainly an option
——————————————————–
when patience leaves
hurry up and wait
as technology takes
over our lives patience
is already running thin
and when patience leaves
listening becomes a fucking
chore
and we all know what
happens to fucking chores
we have a robot to vacuum
for us now
we were duped into believing
the future would be like the
jetsons
instead it feels like tron and
night of the living dead in a
late night feature at the local
drive in
the one where i made out
with a beautiful black woman
the same night i shit my pants
because i was never aware i
was now lactose intolerant
where was the robot to clean
up that fucking mess
J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) is a 3 time Best of the Net nominee and two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. He’s been widely published over the last 30 plus years, most recently at Drinkers Only, Mad Swirl, The Rye Whiskey Review, The Beatnik Cowboy and Yellow Mama. His most recent book, to live your dreams, published by Whiskey City Press, is available from Amazon by going here: https://a.co/d/06qUrWxm
https://evildelights.blogspot.com