Struggle Bus Revolution
Being in therapy has brought me to the realization that I’m terrible at life.
I fumble across a spectrum of struggle buses
masking their way through rotary after rotary.
I’ll never be the most reliable voice in your wallet
but I’ll always be stretching the limits
of steel and rubber,
I’ll always be discovering new methods
of driving my struggle bus.
When turning toward home
isn’t on the checklist
when time is ten different things
that end in unpaid bills,
I’ll be building tree forts at the rendezvous
waiting with a bong and a pocketful of second chances
sparking the kind of revolution
that inspires every cog in the wheel
to make therapy appointments.
We’ll inhale and inhale
lighting small fire after small fire
until our personal tragedies
smoulder to ash.
Holding the world in our lungs
a little too long
as we learn to breathe through the burning.
We release what’s left in the smoke
back into the air watching the struggles
rebuild themselves in the wind.
Maybe this time I won’t spill the bong
but don’t hold your breath
I’m terrible at life.
Ween
When I was a Gatorade drinker
I would only ever get up before noon
to buy drugs or concert tickets.
As I stood along Tremont St
waiting to buy Ween tickets
I watched the Phish fan in front of me
eat too much acid
then too much ecstasy
while drinking
too many beers.
He puked
fell to the ground
twitched a few times
puked again
got up
then ran away.
It happened so fluidly
it seemed like he had rehearsed it
for some demented dance competition.
After getting my ticket
I saw him standing
in front of the Roxy.
I asked if he was ok
he said he’s fine, he knew
he was taking too much
but did it anyway.
He doesn’t know where his friends are
they’re probably waiting for him
pissed off somewhere
he’s done this
to them before.
Jeff Taylor is a poet and union worker from Massachusetts. He cohosts ControVerse Open Mic, and is a member of The Garage Poets. Jeff’s poems have appeared in or are forthcoming in Tickets To Midnight Vol.3, GAS: Poetry, Art & Music, Ain’t no Deadbeats Around Here, New Generation Beats Anthology 2023, EthelZine, American Graveyard, Unlikely Stories Mark V, Oddball Magazine, BOMBFIRE, The Blood Shed Review, Cajun Mutt Press, The Blood Rag, The Alien Buddha Get’s A Real Job vol.2 and more.
