Poetry from J.J. Campbell

Author J.J. Campbell
Author J.J. Campbell

whatever broken spanish i remember 
she whispers to me in spanish
when she’s feeling sexy 
i try my best to respond
with whatever broken spanish
i remember from school her kisses
are like the sweetest candy 
of course, i’m a diabetic

the human condition 
i don’t mind the pain 
i have grown to accept it 
it’s part of the human condition 
it’s the price for not killing myself as a child 
my penalty for allowing myself to be stepped on,
have my heart trampled
and be constantly reminded
that i was never good enough to begin with

this weird void 
another christmas alone 
stuck in this weird void 
all my friends live too far away 
there’s no woman on this earth
willing to even take the chance with me 
too bad, i’m still a fucking dreamer 
skin tough enough to no longer give two shits

endless strings of lights 
i remember the dysfunction
from my youth at christmas 
the eventual argument
while putting up the fake tree
and endless strings of lights 
i learned all the dirty words
by the time i was five 
hated all the holidays
before i reached ten years old 
not exactly good
while trying to incorporate yourself into the world

the last hope i have 
i look in her eyes
and see all the fantasies
i never got to have
in my youth the last hope
i have at ever finding love 
her neon soul brings
what little joy
i can actually feel these days 
maybe one day i’ll convince her
there’s actually a future we could share

J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) is currently trapped in suburbia, wondering where the lonely housewives are hiding. He’s been widely published over the years, most recently at Red Eft Review, Under The Bleachers, Horror Sleaze Trash, Chiron Review and Yellow Mama. You can find him most days on his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)