into the adult years


longing for a kiss

on a hot summer

day



never had much luck

when i was younger

and that has carried

right into the adult

years



and i know, when i

give up they will come

out of the shadows



tell me all the things

i wanted to hear years

ago



back when love had

a chance



when dreams weren't

extinguished



when desire still

resided in this

house

-------------------------------------------------------------
as fleeting as they may be


ponder death like

there is some other

option



childhood memories

come flooding by



the pain, the joy,

the heartbroken

nights of all

those years



remind yourself

of the good times



as fleeting as

they may be



they are all you

have left in times

like this



when the first kiss

was so much more



the night you spent

in a stranger's arms



lost in the stars and

the futile belief in

hope



and when tomorrow

doesn't come



will everything be

a mess



all that could have

been has expired



i suppose the best

thing about death



procrastination is

no longer possible

---------------------------------------------------------
her soft hands


a black woman

cut my hair

today



brought back the

memories of what

i always thought

my adult life

would be like



a black wife



cutting my hair

in the kitchen



her soft hands

gently caressing

my hair



different kind of

small talk than

today of course



she thanked me

for the tip



ten dollars



she told me her

daughter has

discovered

brand names



so, i knew she

needed it

--------------------------------------------------------
a public enemy song


got a letter from

the government



fuck, my life is now

a public enemy song



they declined one

of my medications



obviously, i'm starting

to live better than they

will allow



i guess we no longer

want people striving

to be better, etc.



just fucking die

already



i suppose that's one

way to balance

a budget



all it really does

is feed into my

inner child's long

held belief that

they are out

to get me



i'm just about at

that age where a

mass shooting

really makes

sense


--------------------------------------------------------------------
come around and say hello


a bottle of rye

to keep you

warm



these are the nights

where you wouldn't

mind a few ghosts to

come around and say

hello



there's a longing

in your soul that

cuts deeper than

anyone knows



a tragedy waiting

to happen



the endless pursuit

of endless possibilities

of endless mysteries



there must be a

breaking point

of something

good



they don't

understand

the pain



the pure fucking

misery of tomorrow



escaping death

yet again



once your number

is called just accept

it



it is the only way

out


J.J. Campbell (1976 - ?) is old enough to know better. He's been widely published over the years, most recently at Disturb the Universe Magazine, The Beatnik Cowboy, Mad Swirl, Yellow Mama and Horror Sleaze Trash. Most days he is taking care of his disabled mother. In the rare moment of free time, he'll be making bets on sports or finding a few seconds for a nap. You sometimes can find him at his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)