once read my palms and warned me
i don't think i
have been out
on a date in
over a decade
a woman once
read my palms
and warned me
i was going to
have a long,
lonely life
my father
always told
me those
women are
gypsies and
full of shit
yet another
example of
why i should
have never
listened to
that fucker
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
strike up a conversation
i never trust
any man that
sits right next
to me when
there are plenty
of other seats
to choose from
in three minutes
this fucker is
going to try to
strike up a
conversation
and i'll be in
the middle of
scribbling down
a poem
this won't turn
out well
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
those people
whispers
of evil
hushed
tones
when
those
people
come
around
i grew
up around
plenty of
racist people
i always
was proud
of escaping
that disease
so many
years later
and yet
another
outbreak
i see no one
has come up
with a cure
for ignorance
---------------------------------------------------------------------
when the demons tell you
put on some old
otis redding songs
grab a bottle of
good whiskey
and a cheap cigar
it's one of those
nights where
you'll be done
when the demons
tell you
you are done
these
unblemished souls
in this neighborhood
don't understand
your plight
but if they get too
damn close to the
property line
they certainly
will have a new
appreciation for
their crazy neighbor
---------------------------------------------------------------------
one of these strong drinks
i think back
to all my bad
choices and
play what if
on these nights
where i can't
sleep
it solves
nothing
and i
eventually
give into
exhaustion
i remember
a homeless
guy once told
me after i gave
him a cigarette
that i never
should look
back, nothing
but horror and
regret
yet another
grain of salt
i have pissed
away
but one of these
days one of these
strong drinks will
finally allow me
to reboot the
system
of course, i think
insanity is a very
fine line
------------------------------------------------------------------
waxing poetic
i'm sure one day
i'll look back on
these years and
laugh, think about
how foolish i was
at the time, etc.
but there's that
uneasy part of
my gut that
wonders if
i have already
pissed those
years away
and without
even realizing
it
i'm toasting my
final goodbyes
and waxing poetic
without knowing
why
perhaps that's just
me trying to think
positive for a change
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
J.J. Campbell
