———————————————————
stubborn old nurse
spent most of my sunday
in two different emergency
rooms with my disabled
mother exactly one week
and eight falls later than
she should have gone
into the emergency room
i was of course an asshole
for even suggesting it
since she’s a stubborn
old nurse, and if you know
stubborn old nurses,
you know…
but, i was far from being
the asshole when the doctor
came out and told mom
she broke nearly every rib
on her left side, she now
has to go to the main
hospital downtown
i told her look on the
bright side
you’re going to get all
the drugs i can’t keep
in the house
enjoy them and keep
some for me
i’m going to fucking
need them as well
————————————————
jagged paradise
here in
what is
left of a
jagged
paradise
a day
of tears
memories,
at least
some
of them,
never fade
good luck
trying to
escape
trapped
in a bed
bound to
what little
patience
is left
get your
rest
the war
is just
beginning
—————————————-
loudest in the room
screaming voices from afar
back in the days of the loudest
in the room was always right
no one believes in heaven
anymore
it is simply a time for death
while the rest of us hurry up
and wait
raised on choices and consequences
and understanding that life is what
happens in the margins of the chaos
they say she had the voice of god
but that creole soul ended up
on the toilet all night
whispers against an endless hatred
against anything that tests your
limited belief in each other
and yes, it was always going
to be this difficult
stubbornness isn’t a virtue
love is the last splinters left
in the wreckage
———————————————————–
why
why do nurses
always have
asses to die
for
why is the
sky blue
why must
jagermeister
be served cold
why do i cheer
for the heels in
wrestling
why does it take
males longer to
mature
why are humans
training their
replacements
why does anyone
trust their government
just fucking why
————————————————–
within seconds
it is a vast loneliness
life in the margins
scribbled on old
newspaper
the laughter fades
within seconds
so, begin to trick
your mind into
thinking this is
always what you
wanted
the broken genius
somehow surviving
in the wreckage of
this world
let the imagination
run and maybe a
woman will come
by and reward your
patience or whatever
all this is
the kind of place
where they might
find you dead a
week or two after
the actual event
a hazy sunday
morning
hoping to be
amused
may the voices
finally move on
to something new
J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) is a three time Best of the Net nominee and a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. He’s been widely published over the years, most recently at The Beatnik Cowboy, Misfit Magazine, Yellow Mama, Mad Swirl and Drinkers Only. His latest book, to live your dreams, published by Whiskey City Press, is available at Amazon by going here: