J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) is stuck in the suburbs, wondering where the lonely housewives are hiding. He’s been widely published over the years, most recently at Horror Sleaze Trash, The Rye Whiskey Review, Misfit Magazine, Live Nude Poems and Yellow Mama. You can find him most days perched upon his soapbox on his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)

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i have had

my heart

broken so

many times

that i can no

longer put the

pieces back

together

again

i’m not happy

that destiny has

determined alone

is the only way

i can go through

the rest of this

life

but it is

what it is

i’ll have the

last laugh

every good

asshole does

———————————————————————————————

i had a woman cuss

me out this morning

because i wouldn’t

give her money

mind you, this was

the second day i have

ever talked to her in

my life

she said i was an

ugly fucking asshole

some people just

know i guess

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it’s that easy,

peaceful feeling

right before

disaster hits

the calm

before the

proverbial

storm

it’s why only

the lucky get

to live by the

moment

the rest of us

get blindsided

by reality

left to scramble

for whatever is

left

the hopeless

become helpless

while the rich

laugh all the

way to their

golden banks

in the cloud

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i remember the old

blues men i used to

admire in my late

teens

the smoke in the air

anger and despair

with every chord

sipping on a glass

of bourbon or

whatever my older

face could get me

i would always get

lost in the saxophone

solo

transported to a

woman i need, the

sweat racing down

my back and how

forever could wait

for just one more

moment

—————————————————————————————–

this frown is

permanent

i believe it

was when

i finally

realized what

happened in

the bathroom

when i was

a child

it’s a sign

of sorrow

a sign of

being defeated

a sign of

submission

to whatever

unlucky soul

happens to

be looking

i’m too old

for this fucking

song and dance

anymore

i don’t think

of myself as

a victim

but the world

hasn’t exactly

supported that

thought

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