"terrible terrible," "dumb serf," and "teach 'em well"

by J. D. Nelson

terrible terrible

the name of the beast
or the number of his name
 
what’s at the center
but a big hole
 
the future of tent cities
the future is now
 
up onus

 

 

dumb serf

long ago you’ve been
nowhere
 
& I
have the souls
 
I frown
guessing
 
cold enough
colder

 

 

teach ’em well

you clean up nicely
when you don’t have a head
 
the new snake in the garden
eats the children’s lungs

 

 

J. D. Nelson

J. D. Nelson (b. 1971) is the author of eleven print chapbooks and e-books of poetry, including purgatorio (wlovolw, 2024). His first full-length collection is in ghostly onehead (Post-Asemic Press, 2022). Visit his website, MadVerse.com, for more information and links to his published work. Nelson lives in Boulder, Colorado. He recommends the Denver Rescue Mission.

 

Edited for Unlikely by Jonathan Penton, Editor-in-Chief
Last revised on Monday, June 17, 2024 - 21:00