The State of Affairs - Paperback

by Jason Ryberg (Editor)

The State of Affairs

in this small carroll town on an up down

crouched street in a wood-boxed backyard

you'll find four pumpkins my children spent

hours stabbing & styling up for fun they

once sat side-by-side on the front porch for

weeks with a burning feeling inside of them

but now that the ghosts have been traded for the

gobbles the welcoming crew have been cast

out into a pile of warm compost they are all

slowly becoming disgusting their slanted

eyes eroding their demon brows browning

their frightful mouths mushing love left long

ago & that rise & fall fluttering feeling is just

the pitchfork turning the pile soon

the hackberry leaves will fall

& cover it all

long life

desires...

breaking down reality

we are

all

just

pumpkins

-Victor Clevenger