Of Good and Evil

You think perennials

       are underrated.

       Orchids too fussy.

I’ll take the cactus

for its independence,

       despite its hostile attitude.

       Pulling the hose around

to spit at our strawberry plant,

I mourn for the milkweed

       buried after the butterfly riot.

       We both agree

dandelions are beautiful

when you light their heads on fire.

Emptiness

finds me

when I’m full

of fast food,

foraging for

a reason

to quit,

finding

nothing but

the desire

to continue.

In the beginning

there was

the

cheeseburger.

And then

a lineup

for

cheeseburgers.

I keep digging

for disgust

to see if

anyone’s watching.

Hegel said

you need someone

else to confirm

your existence.

Stranger,

I beg of you,

feed me

for a moment

with your eyes.

Tell me

I can put

down this donut.

I want

to remember

how to be

made whole.

Waves of Mermaid

The sea swallows sailors by the ship,

but we still sour over three waves

of mermaid. Isn’t man-made a type of

warning label? The first rule of masculinity

is you never talk about masculinity.

Wizard is to witch as player is to whore.

When police questioned the assault rifle

he confessed it was in his nature.

Mayday! There are women posed as women

in women’s locker rooms. In my dream,

my hockey coach places his heavy hand

on my shoulder, says there is a rugged

gentleness to my game, I play as though

I am the softest cloud in the sky.

John Doe
Poet, Independent Writer
IN CONVERSATION WITH
Aidan Chafe