need and not desire
end of summer and the
idea of fear
too large to be ignored
gun held tight in the
fist of christ
taste of gravel and of
broken glass
cold blue sky over empty parking lots,
over the clean, meaningless lines
of gas stations
the kingdom of ashes
begins at your door
the missing man is found two weeks
later on some weed-choked
stretch of riverbank
almost eighty miles away
his wife is with her boyfriend
when the news
makes its way back home
even now
the possibilities for joy
are endless
John Sweet, b. 1968; still numbered among the living. A believer in writing as catharsis. His latest collections include BASTARD FAITH (2017 Scars Publications) and the limited edition HEATHEN TONGUE (2018 Kendra Steiner Editions). All pertinent facts about his life are buried somewhere in his writing. Additional John Sweet tomfoolery can be found at bleedinghorse.blogspot.com.
