Poetry from J.J. Campbell

 

in over a decade
 
trouble seems to
find me no matter
how many times
i try to change
my disposition
evil women like
to give me the
look
but in today’s
culture i have
no damn clue
what that look
means anymore
i still find myself
listening to basslines
in songs even though
i haven’t played in
over a decade
in my mind, i’m
smoking a cigarette
while chatting with
joan jett
reality is a state
of affairs not fit
for the words it
would require
———————————————————-
chicken wings and beer
 
it’s having to take
a shit and you’re
three miles from
home
and there’s traffic
you’ve learned
over the years
that any sudden
movements mean
you are buying
new clothes
and in the worst
case scenario
a new vehicle
the sprint doesn’t
need to happen
until the toilet
is in sight
one of these days
you’ll remember
the pitfalls of
spicy food for
lunch
——————————————————————-
a beacon of hope for the world
 
two in the morning
scribbling down
words
pretending my pain
is a beacon of hope
for the world
pretending i never
have the urge to
kill or love
this war inside my
head is rather tiring
these days
i once asked my
doctor for enough
pain pills to kill
me
he laughed and
complimented my
sense of humor
no one seems to
understand i haven’t
told a joke in over
a decade
another empty bottle
of rum for the pile
one of these days
i’ll find oblivion
———————————————————————-
to the cruel world
 
try explaining to the cruel
world that a poet doesn’t
need to worry about money
or fame
the only thing that matters
are the words and the people
willing to publish them
that doesn’t pay the bills
ask not want not
you and your bullshit
philosophy shit again
how will we ever provide
for the children
or get a better home
or find a better school
district
you try to explain that all
these things have already
been decided on this long
strange trip
you just simply have to
be willing to take the ride
fast forward twenty years
and your children hate you
more than you ever believed
was possible
perhaps a solid job wasn’t
that bad a choice in hindsight
these padded walls beg to
differ
————————————————————
into fruition
 
life is a scam
much like religion
or weight loss pills
it’s nothing more
than the placebo
effect
and i hear all
these motivational
speakers tell me
that i need to think
it and believe it
into fruition
i never
got to six
feet tall
and i never
have fucked
a supermodel
just more bullshit
to sell some books