Your banter was barbedYour loving was scarred The beginning was hardAnd it only got harder But the passion was quickYour touch electric An antiseptic For which I would barter All that you lacked Patch every crackMy soul still intact ‘Cause it was never on offer How could I knowThat your breakneck would slow?That your secretsContinue reading “The Way I Feel”
Category Archives: Stories
Over My Dead Body
“Over my dead body,” you said But for years now your body’s been deadYour lips and your hips and your hands They don’t work like they used to “I’m sorry, I don’t love you no more”“The kids know, the rings in the drawer”A slap, then a laugh, then the wrath Then the sarcastic thank you’sContinue reading “Over My Dead Body”
Shibboleth
Every evening—same thingTire swing, earphones inHalfhearted scrolling Thinking bout something.. Something like a getaway Magic trick, great escapeOpen sunroof, freewayHollywood escapade Or maybe the oppositeBlending in, perfect fit Cozy clique, tight-nitSleepover gossip Never say the right thing On the outside looking inWrong wavelength, bad wiringToo quiet, desperate, too everything Yesterday you overheardGirls studying a vocabContinue reading “Shibboleth”
Waiting to Win the Lottery
She wakes up early Takes her jogHer breath trails out in smokeKeeps her brain from overload Gets to work Presses on her maskShe speaks the language wellEats lunch by the liberty bell Her train is lateShe’s home by 8Scrolls through her endless feedNetflix, then an early sleep She knows Someday she’s gonna wake upNot worry bout the breakContinue reading “Waiting to Win the Lottery”
Gunpowder Falls
Last night I dreamed that it was snowing The world was crisp and white and glowing But I when I woke up, my eyes raw,When my dream began to thaw,When my heartbeat started slowing It was your face that came flooding Memories warm and soft and sudden Like when you reach into your pocket No phone, no keys, no cash,Continue reading “Gunpowder Falls”
Pacifiers and Parking Lots
Pacifiers and parking lotsStill don’t know who you are But you know who you’re not And that’s a start Dirty diapers, dead-end datesRundown roads, working lateDown at the Mini-Mart Freezing rain, slick black ice Split-second turnDidn’t look twice And you spun out Totaled car, barely a scratchDoctor said, “someone up there’s got your back”But luck runs out Made youContinue reading “Pacifiers and Parking Lots”
Drones and Dishes
Days of drones and dishes looming Sirens screaming, rockets booming I’ll turn on something soft and soothing Sweep the floor and sing Stock the shelter, keep my coolPick the grandkids up from schoolDig out my set of power toolsFix what needs fixing ‘Cause I’m not moving to no hotelMy home is here, my kids as wellThe neighbors split,Continue reading “Drones and Dishes”
The Things We Left Behind
Momma wept It’s all too much to accept The memories she kept Swore to preserve and protectChipped floors she patiently swept Stacks of of junk-mail and debts The kitchen of crepes and cartoons All consumed Momma, I said It’s all still there in our headsYour laugh as you fed usThe tales that you read usHandsContinue reading “The Things We Left Behind”
Jeremy Koloski 