Poetry of Steve Henn

 

Losing My Shit

Just sat down in a big pink pile
of Himalayan Salt and boy do I feel
no different! How does it feel?
How does it feel? You tell me.
I’m not in touch with my emotions.
I only have two: neutral and
breaking the sound barrier. It’s
overwhelming. Like being sad
with a raging boner. I love a good
sadgasm! I’ll rip off Homer anytime,
he’s funnier than me but I’m more
intentional. Feeling good about myself
is what I’m all about! I’m so self-assured
I can power a fleet of animatronic ninjas
with my mental energies. People speak
without thought endlessly all the time,
don’t worry about it if you’ve just started
paying attention. God Bless Your Merry Gentlemen
and Carry On Your Wayward Sons. Gimme,
gimme the days upon the highways of the night.
A good whoa-woah carefully inflected adds
minutes to your life. It’s the only reverse cigarette
I’ve ever heard of! People say it works
better than you might believe. You know
what I hate? I hate when I’m losing my shit
and some faux-Zen phony tells me to “just breathe.”

*from Guilty Prayer (Main Street Rag 2021)

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a Species of Creature*

I’m the kind of guy who would hire a hooker
so she could hold me while I ugly-cry
into her breasts

The more true it feels the less funny
it gets

Are animal zoos cruel?

1. yes
2. no
3. is it okay if I sit this one out one damn time, dammit, Jesus…
4. let’s ask Twitter

According to @Uberfacts there were human zoos
as late as the 1950s, where white people put people
of other races on display. There’s no sitting this one out, bub
Shame, anger, and guilt seem like normal responses
to this information so don’t read the comments – someone

is bound to respond #AllLivesMatter

We are a fucked up species of creature.
Do you think horses have this many
varieties of mental illness?

Somebody retweeted somebody saying “Disney Withdrawal
Is the Absolute Worst FOR REAL”

Call me if you have any idea what we think we’re even doing

#IThinkTheresSomethingWrongWithUs

*first appeared in Trailer Park Quarterly
*from Guilty Prayer (MSR 2021)

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Steve Henn wrote Guilty Prayer (Main Street Rag 2021), Indiana Noble Sad Man of the Year (Wolfson 2017), and two previous collections from NYQ Books. Find out more at
therealstevehenn.com