Unlikely 2.0


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Editors' Notes

Maria Damon and Michelle Greenblatt
Jim Leftwich and Michelle Greenblatt
Sheila E. Murphy and Michelle Greenblatt

A Visual Conversation on Michelle Greenblatt's ASHES AND SEEDS with Stephen Harrison, Monika Mori | MOO, Jonathan Penton and Michelle Greenblatt

Letters for Michelle: with work by Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Jeffrey Side, Larry Goodell, mark hartenbach, Charles J. Butler, Alexandria Bryan and Brian Kovich

Visual Poetry by Reed Altemus
Poetry by Glen Armstrong
Poetry by Lana Bella
A Eulogic Poem by John M. Bennett
Elegic Poetry by John M. Bennett
Poetry by Wendy Taylor Carlisle
A Eulogy by Vincent A. Cellucci
Poetry by Vincent A. Cellucci
Poetry by Joel Chace
A Spoken Word Poem and Visual Art by K.R. Copeland
A Eulogy by Alan Fyfe
Poetry by Win Harms
Poetry by Carolyn Hembree
Poetry by Cindy Hochman
A Eulogy by Steffen Horstmann
A Eulogic Poem by Dylan Krieger
An Elegic Poem by Dylan Krieger
Visual Art by Donna Kuhn
Poetry by Louise Landes Levi
Poetry by Jim Lineberger
Poetry by Dennis Mahagin
Poetry by Peter Marra
A Eulogy by Frankie Metro
A Song by Alexis Moon and Jonathan Penton
Poetry by Jay Passer
A Eulogy by Jonathan Penton
Visual Poetry by Anne Elezabeth Pluto and Bryson Dean-Gauthier
Visual Art by Marthe Reed
A Eulogy by Gabriel Ricard
Poetry by Alison Ross
A Short Movie by Bernd Sauermann
Poetry by Christopher Shipman
A Spoken Word Poem by Larissa Shmailo
A Eulogic Poem by Jay Sizemore
Elegic Poetry by Jay Sizemore
Poetry by Felino A. Soriano
Visual Art by Jamie Stoneman
Poetry by Ray Succre
Poetry by Yuriy Tarnawsky
A Song by Marc Vincenz


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In Treatment
by Michael Cuglietta

I don't want to be good anymore.

I don't want to be in bed by eleven. I don't want to only drink on the weekends and even then no more than two beers a night. I don't want to wear expensive wool pants from fancy department stores with "dry clean only" labels. I don't want to eat three square meals a day, with five servings of fruits or vegetables. I refuse to run three miles a day five days a week. I'll choose instead to let my hairy belly blow up. And I'll walk to the grocery store topless, my lumpy, pale stomach glistening under the summer sun. I don't care who is offended.

I don't want to limit my caffeine intake to one glass of coffee each morning. I don't care about my blood pressure. I don't care if caffeine causes anxiety. I don't want to have to worry about generalized anxiety disorder. I don't want to take my mood stabilizing drugs. They make things too boring.

I am sick of psychotherapy. I've learned enough about my crappy childhood. I'm tired of pretending like my parents did a good job. I don't care if finger pointing is counterproductive. I refuse to take responsibility for myself any longer.

I am not a responsible guy. I am tired of being the first one into the office and the last one to leave. I am tired of holding my shit together in rush hour traffic. Next time someone rides my ass or passes on the right I am going to lose it. Would you even think of cutting me off if you knew the anger I had inside of me?

I am not the nice guy all your girlfriends tell you you're a fool for leaving. "He has a good job. He's faithful, smart, funny." But it doesn't matter what they say. You leave despite what your annoying friends tell you. You leave because a nice guy is no fun. You leave because nice guys don't know anything about real sex. Nice guys will not bury your face in the pillow while they call you a slut. Nice guys will not yank your hair hard as they take you from behind. Nice guys will not leave deep bite marks in your ass.

Nice guys are a nice thought but when all is said and all is done nice guys are left alone in their boring, nice guy apartments, content with their boring, nice guy lives, searching for ways to fall asleep while sober.

I am far from content.

Continued...