Because Death Is Real
Because death is real, I overwatered my pansies
the day after it rained. It’s the last thing I’ve got.
The last thing alive in my life.
Because death is real, I blocked you on my phone,
but not on social media. In case you want to ask why.
Because death is real, I take what’s in front of me.
Because it’s the best I’ve got.
Maybe the real friend is the toxic positivity
I made along the way.
Maybe the lesson here is to work a lot harder
and sacrifice everything for something
I barely want anyway.
Maybe what’s good for business isn’t good
for America. Maybe it’s not good for business
either.
Because death is real, I stopped thinking about
you, in the same way no one talks about
the pink elephant.
Maybe true love isn’t always true.
Maybe if I change everything about myself,
I can make all new regrets.
Because death is real, my life is at least two-thirds over.
I wasted so much time on you.
Raised on a rice and catfish farm in eastern Arkansas, CL Bledsoe is the author of more than thirty books, including the poetry collections Riceland, The Bottle Episode, and his newest, Having a Baby to Save a Marriage, as well as his latest novels If You Love Me, You’ll Kill Eric Pelkey and The Devil and Ricky Dan. Bledsoe lives in northern Virginia with his kid.
