huge high school crush
J.J. Campbell
i saw a woman that
reminded me of this
huge high school
crush i had
how quick she turned
away as i was looking
convinced me even
more that it could be
——————————
a couple trendy items
writing a poem in
the same restaurant
i used to write in a
quarter century ago
the carpet looks the
same
coffee tastes the
same
but the menu has
new plastic and a
couple trendy items
the only thing really
different is the
cigarette smoke
there is none anymore
i suppose that’s for
the best
although coffee,
applesauce and a
pack or two of
marlboro lights
always will have
that special memory
for me
——————————
holiday music
one week from christmas
and every waiting room
is playing holiday music
usually, it’s the hospital
that makes my skin crawl
——————————
the kennedys
my mother watches
all these shows about
the kennedys with
a tear in her eye
she still wants to
believe in fairytales
——————————
started to tremble
i remember the first time
i put a gun in my mouth
i prayed there was a
bullet in the chamber
my hands started to
tremble
and my friend said
hey asshole, it’s not
loaded
i handed it back to him
and told him to never
tease me again
he left town the next
year and i have never
seen him since
J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) went to the crossroads and only found litter. He’s been widely published over the years, most recently at Horror Sleaze Trash, Fourth & Sycamore, Duane’s PoeTree, The Stray Branch and Red Eft Review. You can find him most days on his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. (http://evildelights.blogspot.