bruise
a nation of ghosts,
and they all wish you dead and
sooner or later
it’s gonna happen
can’t be 1994 forever, okay?
can’t waste yr whole life
being pissed at yr father because
what was he actually guilty of?
had you pegged for all the
things you weren’t
not a poet,
not a suicide,
not a killer of politicians,
and so what, then?
fucker knew a failure
when he saw one
looked in the mirror and
saw you standing behind him
taught you how to make a
fist and then the
taste of blood when he
landed the punch
warmth of sunlight as you
leaned back against the car
asked you if you wanted
another and
all you could do was laugh
John Sweet (b. 1968) is a believer in writing as catharsis, and in poetry as a reason for getting up in the morning. He has been publishing in the small press for 30 years. Among his collections are NO ONE STARVES IN A NATION OF CORPSES (2020 Analog Submission Press) and NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU (2024 Apathy Press Poets). He lives in upstate New York. All pertinent facts about his life are buried somewhere in his writing.
and all of us drinking the blood of our enemies (Roadside Press) releases in August and is available for pre-order at https://www.magicaljeep.com/product/blood/198
