John Sweet
John Sweet sends greetings from the rural wastelands of upstate NY. He is a firm believer in writing as catharsis, and in the continuous search for an unattainable and constantly evolving absolute truth. His latest poetry collections include A FLAG ON FIRE IS A SONG OF HOPE (2019 Scars Publications) and A DEAD MAN, EITHER WAY (2020 Kung Fu Treachery Press).after the kingdom of nil
wakes up feeling normal,
which is something new
the pills, working,
but only a handful left
winter and then winter
and then winter
the age of open wounds
here in the upstate desert
st amelia with her
hands in the fire and
this is how the images arrive
this is not a poem
but a life
a half-assed attempt
his head clear, but still
this ringing in his ears
a side effect
a simple act of waiting
for the pain to return
blue skies and jagged clouds
and how many years now
since any of us knew
absolute silence?
fuck it
the truth saves no one
the doctor smiles,
then turns away
this is the story he’ll
tell his wife, maybe his
girlfriend, but
he’ll forget how it ends
he forgets who dies
he mangles the punchline
wakes up alone and
cen never quite remember
where he is
wakes up cold and thinks
that maybe the
pills are finally working
thinks maybe the past
can be relived
it will end up taking a
lifetime
to prove him wrong
Sheila-Na-Gig online 