Poetry from J.J. Campbell

what my tombstone should say

 

watched a woman

with down syndrome

flick a booger onto

the carpet of the

waiting room at

the doctor’s office

this afternoon

 

all the while an

elderly couple were

arguing about if their

daughter was out in

the car waiting for

them

 

i whispered to my

mother this is why

i’m killing myself

 

i also told her i

thought of what

my tombstone

should say while

in the shower

earlier

 

found the pleasure

in the pain

———————————————————–

get it over with

 

i no longer wonder

how i am going to

die

 

i’m old enough

to know that

doesn’t matter

 

my ego prefers

that it’s memorable

 

the broken soul

trapped deep

within me only

hopes that it’s

indoors and

there isn’t much

of a mess

 

my inner child

still has visions

of a rope, a ladder

and a lonely tree

 

the only concern

the voices have

is they would like

to get it over with

soon

 

they have better

things to do

——————————————————–

to the brink

 

i do my best

to stay away

from the news

 

but

it’s incredibly

difficult these

days

 

and each

morning

 

where it looks

like we’re edging

closer to the brink

of nuclear war

 

i’m proud i

was responsible

enough

 

to not bring

another soul

into this world

—————————————————————–

a feeble desire

 

it’s not really

a poem but a

plea for sanity

 

a feeble desire

to hope that the

adults will start

acting like one

 

i wonder if anyone

can look up from

their phones long

enough to actually

give a shit

 

hide behind your

technological walls

for as long as you

can

 

the rest of us will

soak up all the pain

as well as the joy

 

and trust me

 

you won’t ever

survive on what

is left

——————————————————————–

for a lost poet in arkansas

 

the devil is in the details

 

the big picture stuff was

never the problem

 

it’s day to day bullshit

that sends you down the

paths where the weak go

to die and the strong come

back haunted for life

 

you have finally realized

greatness is for those

driven by the ego

 

you’d gladly settle for

clean air to breathe and

a little yard for the dog

to shit in

 

so, here’s to the end of

roaches and guilt

 

please know that chasing

a dream in a life that is a

constant nightmare is an

act of courage

 

and should give you hope

 

something most people

squander each and every

day

 

take the love within you

and seek something better

 

from the bottom, anything

is possible