————————————————————-

dreams of a burning cross

stand naked in

a field of death

now is as good

a time as any to

wonder where it

all went wrong

soon the sun will

fade to thunder

and lightning

dreams of a

burning cross

with you still

nailed to it

remember the

cute blonde

grinding up

against you

in the club

oh so many

years ago

she was a he

and you missed

out on a night

for the ages

depressed soul

seeking like

minded curvy

female

to die together

or at least fuck

some shit up

along the way

———————————————————-

the morning news

i haven’t

watched

news in

the

morning

in years

sitting here

in the hospital

it’s nothing

but murders,

shootings,

traffic reports

and incoming

rain

i see nothing

has fucking

changed

——————————————-

completely understanding

i tried compassion

but it clashed with

my socks

empathy never smelled

right on me, but i am

a stubborn fuck

i keep putting it on

there’s this woman

in colorado that secretly

loves me but isn’t willing

to have her heart broken

yet again

here i am many miles away

completely understanding

fear builds many walls

i enjoy poking around

and breaking them

down every now

and then

she has no worries

about me breaking

her heart

i worry about her

destroying what

is left of mine

of course, worry

and desire are that

thin line i refuse

to snort

——————————————————

outside of a bookstore

i remember lighting a

cigarette for a beautiful

young woman years ago

as we talked outside of

a bookstore

she told me she read

my poetry and thought

i could do better

i chuckled and said

you sound like all

my teachers when

i was in high school

graduating with honors

so, the easy way is

your path, not that

sexy

i cornered that market

years ago honey, what

is your point

she said never mind

and walked away

i saw her a few days ago

plays the bass in a decent

punk band

i don’t think she remembers

me, which is fine, that is a

long list as well

i would like to let her know

it never was that fucking easy

———————————————-

tethered to the world

faint whispers as the

demons gather to seek

a better solution

pain is a necessary evil

you remind yourself

it keeps you grounded

tethered to the world

you know how to

conquer

this is when the glasses

of booze get a little

stronger

courage is loading

a bullet and saying

goodbye

but this is not a night

for profiles

the faint whispers

are now a scream

coltrane

in the background

all the reasons to stay

have moved on

sometimes, the lights

turn themselves off

J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) is trapped in suburbia, never knowing when he will be allowed to escape. He’s been widely published over the years, most recently at The Rye Whiskey Review, Disturb the Universe Magazine, The Beatnik Cowboy, Horror Sleaze Trash and The Asylum Floor. He has a new chapbook out with Casey Renee Kiser titled Altered States of The Unflinching Souls. You can find him most days on his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)