by Howie Good

 

1 Goodbye to the Merry-Go-World

Robots fucked the women. I can’t forget their screaming. The doctor believed responsible was eventually found hiding in a ditch. One bullet tore away his chin. I saw the ambulance, the sirens and lights, and I told my brother, “Look something’s happening.” We thought the gunman was coming toward us. Topics that until just an hour ago were trending on Twitter disappeared into the archive, to be handled by only people wearing thin white gloves. Please, we need your help. A child dies of hunger every five seconds. Kids should know what a tomato looks like growing in the ground.

 

2 Shop ‘til You Drop

A man armed with an ax was attacking mall shoppers at random. I was like “Oh shit, here we go.” It wouldn’t be many minutes more before the police arrived. Most of the counter help at Taco Bell and Sicilian Delight Pizza fled the food court, racing each other for the exits. I just knew somehow that the speed of darkness was greater than the speed of light. A few forlorn husbands and boyfriends remained abandoned on a bench outside the GAP. They must have really wanted to see Jesus.

 

3 Neither Sun nor Death

They are beating the cars with metal bats. I think, “Am I supposed to be here?” That thing is on fire in a big way. The situation is way beyond science. You need to be careful in interpreting that. Every day I confront the same choice: stay inside or perish. I don’t get outside as much anymore. Someone grabs Suzanne’s hair and twists her neck. We make eye contact. She is screaming. She is screaming hysterically. I know tulips aren’t spelled two lips.

 

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Howie Good is the author of The Loser’s Guide to Street Fighting, winner of the 2017 Lorien Prize from ThoughtCrime Press, and Dangerous Acts Starring Unstable Elements, winner of the 2015 Press Americana Prize for Poetry. He co-edits White Knuckle Press with Dale Wisely.