84 THE BEGININNG THE WAITING THE PANTING THE FINDING THE UNTHINKABLE AGONIZING FRETTING A WHISPER BECOMES SO LONG TEARS SLAM TO THE WOOD FLOORS LIKE CRASHING GLASS THE BLACKMAIL THE EXTORTION HAS GONE OUT OF CONTROLL YOU CAN'T BREATHE YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS NO NEED FOR RANSO.E MONIES WHY NOT NOW THE GATHERING SOMETHING IS OFF SOMEONE IS NOT TRUTHFUL LETTING THE ENTIRE FAMILY DOWN WAS GAMBLING DRUGS FORGOTTEN DEBT OR JUST AN ACCIDENT GONE WRONG CREATING THE SHOW CASE KNOWING FULL WELL IT'S ALREADY OVER TRULY SAD WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT WHERE IS SAFETY SECURITY ALONE IN THE DESERT WE ARE WHO WE ARE HUMAN PERHAPS HUMAN ERROR CRUELTY THRIVES WHILE THE REST MOURNS I MYSELF WAS BEING BLACKMAILED WHEN I WROTE THE RANSOM NOTE A CRAZED JAMAICAN FEMALE MULES IDENTITY FRAUD THIEF WAS AFTER MY POETRY AFTER HER AFFAIR WITH MY ABUSIVE EX HUSBAND SHE BELIEVED SHE COULD EXTORT MY AMERICAN POETRY SENDING KILLERS TO SHOOT ME OVER MY AMERICAN POETRY RANSOM NOTES ASSAULT RIFLES HOME INVASIONS BURGULARY I FEEL SO BLESSED I SURVIVED MY KILLERS WHICH IS WHY I WROTE THE POEM THE RANSON NOTE YEARS AGO MY HEART IS STILL TENDER THERE THANKS POETRY SOUP FOR FAV MY POETRY
A piece evoking heartbreak, initiation, and resilience through friendship.
Relating to a club which may not exist in the literal sense, but exists in the spiritual.
A club for those who have felt broken, but lifted by others who have probably been through the same rituals linked to heartbreak.
Title.
Are you a member of The Midnight Losers Club?
(A lone voice whispers)
I joined last night
Went through the initiation
Got my heart broken in two
Took proof
Showed them all on the big screen
A picture of my ex-husband smiling as I stood crying
Now I wear the secret brand under my right sleeve in French.
Une fois brisés, nous nous relevons grâce à l'amitié
Car nous sommes membres du Midnight Losers Club
(Once broken but we rise through friendship
For we are members of The Midnight Losers Club)
(C) Copyright John Duffy
NO FEAR OF TERRORISTS THREATS FROM DANITA DELMONT AGENT MY ABUSIVE EX HUSBAND MULES SMUGGLING DRUGS AND LAUNDERING THE STASH UNDER MY TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY OPERATION SOUIX CITY INTERNAL AFFAIRS LITERALLY ABUSE OF POWER 922 822 TALISA SHAW HILTON GOD BLESS AMERICA NO FRAR OF SCUM DEAR DANNY BOY OR GIRL WEARING HOOFS HOUSE HALF HORSE HALF WOMAN GALLOPING AS MY ABUSIVE EX HUSBAND RIDE THIS FRESK OF NATURE LEAVING SLIME ON MY WINDOW SILL HISSING MULE MULE RUSHING TO CANADA STUFFED WITH DRUGS THE DONKEY THE ASSES CIRO BORROWED FROM TAMPA DANEILLE VENSOR FLEE FROM ME I SMELL YOUR STENCH RAW EGGS NOSE HAIRS TOE FUNGUS OH DANNY BOY OR GIRL SEEKING MY EX HUSBAND WATCHING ME TOO SUN BATHE LISTENING TO MY SISTER'S MOM AND I ON YOUR ILLEGAL EAR PIECES YOU ARE AN ABOMINATION THE SIX THINGS DOTH THE LORD HATES SEVEN IS YOU AN ABOMINATION
A complete thought
it conveys a complete thought
soothing harmonious phrases
a melody
perfecting a pitch
a sequence of notes
and a musical structure
that grooves and carries
from the Book
Cochliomyia hominivorax
By Cooter Skirts
----------------------------
a line from page 109 reads
We used the boxtruck for shelter in the rain.
while putting Styrofoam spray into number
tin cans, we were tryna make a floating device, anyway
I told ex wife the story of me becoming engaged.
"I knew my wife loved me the day
I came home early and no one
was there. She does crafts
and on the table was " I love You"
stringed together. She used the pigfeet bones from
the BBQ and some string
she tied dandiloins inbetween the bones
I asked her to marry me that evening"
She played fiddle with the band and I played accordain
Her ex husband was a cattle herder and he always had a need
to talk o her. I got tired of this
She said she'd marry me and I
told him that the latenight gossip
had to stop: I laughed at his lonelinees
and made no bones about what I meant!
NOT TO JUDGE BUT WHEN A MEXICAN
BREAK INTO YOUR YOUR HOME EXPOSED TO YOUR AMERICAN GRANDFATHERS WW11 HISTORY BE VIGIL THEY DON'T RESPECT AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE THEY WERE SENT THERE BY CORRUPTION TO BULLYING YOU BRING THINGS BACK TO THE CULPRITS I WILL NEVER FEAR MEXICAN BURGULARS HIRED BY SICK AGING CIRO GARGANO OBSESSED WITH ME THE BEST HE EVER HAD IN HIS LIFE HE SPEND THE REST OF HIS NATURAL LIFE TRAINING IMMIGRANT WOMEN TO IMPERSONATE ME SADLY THE MEXICAN BROKE IN MY HOME FOR EXPIRED ID CARDS AND BELIEVED THAT AWOL STORY WOW SPENDING DAYS AND NIGHTS ON THE RIMS OUTSIDE OF STABBING FIVE PERSONS I MEAN THE NEWS SAID BLOOD WAS EVERYWHERE BECAUSE SHE'S EASILY MADE JEALOUS I FELT BLESSED SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE PUT GASOLINE AND MAPLE SYRUP UNDER MY DOOR SHE ALSO SLEPT WITH MY ABUSIVE EX HUSBAND GOD ONLY KNOWS JUST WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO TO ME AFTER BEATING HER CRIPPLED MOTHER RESULTING IN HER UNTIMELY DEATH IN THE END FOR ME NOTHING BUT TRUMP TOWERS WHERE BOXES OF UNAUTHORIZED DOCUMENTS ARE SAFE GOD BLESS AMERICA
Why oh why asked Old Lady Spry
Do they always die without saying bye?
Her husband Kai let out a loud sigh
Put eggs on high that he was trying to fry
This is a true story, assured my neighbor Vi
Kai’s omelet included warm cheese of brie.
I knew it right away, ‘cause I am sort of a spy.
I can see in their window if I really try.
Their house is a bit of a challenge, a real pigsty.
This is almost the full truth; I rarely tell a lie.
Persnickety Lady Spry winks and always says “hi”.
She gave my husband a Santa Christmas tie.
It was nothing the old hag had to go out and buy.
Repurposed from her deadbeat ex-husband Cy.
Vi then gave us a good-bye, for she had to fly.
Heading to Canada with Ty, her new guy.
He’s super sweet, backwards, and weirdly shy
But I might be in love with this goof-pot said Vi.
She falls in love fast had stated Old Lady Spry.
This is the truth, my friends, for I do not lie.
“Twas the night before Christmas” four decades ago,
when my late ex-husband suited up as Santa Claus so
he could surprise our two toddlers and spice our
Christmas Eve party through the midnight hour.
It is our family tradition to celebrate Christmas on
Christmas Eve and we committed to keep it going on.
A joyous family gathering to welcome the birth
of our Lord, a family celebration filled with mirth.
On this particular night, my son was so excited to see
Santa and when scooped and twirled, he giggled with glee.
Santa carried him and I carried his little sister to our van,
got all seated and I kissed Santa that his curiosity began.
He asked me many questions, “are we going to grandpa’s now,
where is Dad, why is Santa driving our van, does Santa know how
to drive a car, where is his sleigh?” and Santa and I felt so bad
bursting in laughter, laughter he recognized and said, “Santa is Dad!”
I missed the window of my telling
you who you are. My greatest
talent, f*cked too thin to mend,
or maim when it mattered most.
I’m not mad anymore, just sifting
through the wreckage of my gift—
this heft of language, all I ever said,
only salve on hand to save us, too often
out of stock.
Words flawless on paper, I fell limp
spilling from a broken mouth.
Throwing spells at your functional illiteracy,
believing an explanation could level
our podium standings, but it never did.
I never do.
Even though I’m perfect on paper.
You never do what I want, either.
Imagining Sisyphus content
was the death of us.
And we have died nine million times
attempting the trick of it—
a compromise so smug, filled with hubris
enough to spare every kind,
every one of us, where no one dies,
unless that’s how they wanted
their story to end.
Our story is ending.
What else is there?
A rock and a hill, a present mishandled
until it becomes a burden.
Until we've learned the weight of words
won’t hold us, slip, slipping away
again and again, and I’m there
hauling myself through the unwritten
spaces you didn't even notice, you left.
Unafraid of corrupt abuse of
power sharing a bed with
my abusive ex husband
Definitely changed my locks
after the graveyard dirt left
behind from mafia scum
corrupt Talisa shaw Alicia
Hilton jay Townsend Johnson
Henry Danita delmont oh
Danny boy or girl agents
agents left over from my
abusive ex husband brothals
obsession to my American
poetry sending a few old
hitmen from Gotti degenerate
crews leaving threats hahaha
Immature laughing seeing
a murdered woman Gargano
unsolved Chicago murders
Ha ha ha R Hondas sadness
rolling with Gargano garbage
faking their deaths extortion
of traumatic brain injury claim
on behalf of my injuries money
laundering Milwaukee drug smugglers
stash in order to commit heist
on disabled Americans and their families
“Abe, easy Dee, effigy, eight chives, Jake, ale, Em,
any hope, peak you, arrest a ewe, feed other ewe”
ex-wife said
she certainly SPELT it out!
he then went on to reCOUNT
“When, too, furry forks, fave socks sieving, eat known tin”
and there was something oddly familiar about it all
when ex-husband and ex-wife spoke their nonsense
Unable to fear threats from
any man who actually sent
my ex husband to torch
a tailor shop killing a mass
number of elderly people
sleeping in bed Christmas Day
on oxygen machines as mushroom
clouds flooded the building do
you see special agent Alan king
asked me before hiring me to
wear wires on my unborn children
while city officials helped to cover
up mass murder I witnessed the
plotting of Ciro gargano and I
played in the silk garments in
the shop where he stored the
contents of the tailor shop sadly
corruption threatened my life to
silence me an yet I will never
ever fear murderers with badges
assisting Ciro gargano ongoing
mass murder spree a serial killer
extorting medical care for diapers
and bedding for retired hitmen
Stop intimidation arson murder
of 9 elderly people the coldest
day 1984 I will never forget
Jahore Pakistani kind of terrorist driving a Tahoe shooting into my home attempting to impersonate me gain royalties from my American poetry sorry my ancestors served Wwll Vietnam Korean Afghanistan Iraq for these reasons I will never ever fear scum like you carrying a rubber badge you obtained from Gargano strip club on fletcher ave.in Tampa bay don’t forget who you are you are actually times 30 Gargano ran a garbage disposal strip club of females just like you only you become obsessed with my identity freak of nature back off sorry you got caught in bed with my abusive ex husband this gave you false hope that you could audition to become me after death Ha ha ha ha truly funny twisted and sick ha ha ha ha stop breaking in my home for underwear that won’t make you me dear ha ha ha ha you are very twisted ewwww thank you god for exposing this imposter jay Townsend Johnson Henry Tampainian clone.
I am American
I had never seen snow skis before 1976
Did not know about the rich man’s sport
Every time I see a ski photo I remember those news articles
Claudinet Longet is accused of killing her lover
Spider Sabich is dead, murdered.
Her ex-husband Andy Williams stands by her
True love.
Go now! I shall stay amidst my woe,
My soft heart twitches with affliction.
Fleeing condemnation, I will go!
A cold man of science; is no show.
Obscene as he can be, he hounds.
Go now! I shall stay amidst my woe,
Within my veins, my blood deeply flows.
The toxicity of attraction
Fleeing condemnation, I will go!
Doll house omitting a haunted glow.
My innocence taken now bound.
Go now! I shall stay amidst my woe,
Freedom fighters tying a tight bow.
Living with your veiled distraction.
Fleeing condemnation, I will go!
Ghastly cold stare will not reach me, no!
Yes, I will be far away and found.
Go now! I shall stay amidst my woe,
Fleeing condemnation, I will go!
She loved me before she even knew me,
She gave me her heart!
She told me she loved me,
Via a text message after only a few days.
Yes, that first kiss was a kiss,
She literally sucked my tongue from my face.
She was giving me a message.
We talked for more weeks,
I was in the south of Portugal,
She was up north.
She wanted me to visit the north for the holidays but I had no money.
But we still talked.
We had plans to meet the first time
but the ex husband made a complication.
No harm.
When we finally met,
We met.
We made love for the first time and it was magical.
We went to a local bar and a woman friend saw and greeted me,
And my woman grabbed and pinched my fingers.
so hard and subconsciously said,
"You are MINE".
I said, “Okay”.
We made love a second time
outside at the fisherman's rest looking at the moon.
At least I was,
She was crying,
What...???
We went home for the night
and in the morning I went outside for space.
I sat on a hilltop and drank two bottles of beer
and asked my God what direction in life I should walk.
One week later I was on a train going north,
Two years later we are married and very much in Love!
~ Pauly G
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