"terrible terrible," "dumb serf," and "teach 'em well"
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](https://unlikelystories.org/sites/default/files/jd_nelson_2023_rotated.jpg)
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.