After the Fact by Sarah Russell

 

There’s the Fact,
and After the Fact —
the silence of a new apartment,
hugging the kids too hard,
watching them manipulate.
It’s his telling friends you took him
to the cleaners, cold stares
at soccer games.

After the fact is buying hundred dollar jeans
then eating ramen for a week,
lying about your age,
your weight.
It’s wondering if they’re mama’s boys
or gays still in the closet,
what to do with small talk,
stretch marks. It’s settling
for a 6 because you’re horny.
The Fact’s a piece of cake.

Two Poems by J.J. Campbell

crashing upon me once again

i remember sitting at
the top of my stairs
listening to some
sad fucking songs

i’m sure the end
of the world was
crashing upon me
once again

it was the last
good cry i ever
had

almost thirty
fucking years
ago

they beat it out
of me when i
was young

you would think
the adult years
would have been
better than this
____________

 

as long as we celebrate our ignorance

it’s easier to hate than love

harmony is some mystical
thought only meant for
songs

it’s easier to teach a child
to be racist than have them
learn long division

and as long as we celebrate
our ignorance

we will never mind the
chains around our necks

or the electronics around
our ankles

attack ad after attack ad

and don’t worry

the cycle for the next
election starts in just
a few weeks

and we wonder why elected
officials never get anything
done

and i’m supposed to give
my last few pennies to
someone who doesn’t
need them

i forget what book of
the bible told me i’m
required