Still Fresh

by Jack T. Marlowe

the memories are

still fresh, memories

of still fresh bodies

split open

on the roadside

jagged gashes

and chunks of flesh

raw meat

and sticky fluid

glistening in the grass

a crass scavenger's

unjust desserts

a shattered patchwork

of red, black, and green

the aftermath

of a turn too sharp

for those who never made it

to the farmer's market.

and though i usually

feel empathy

for others' misfortunes

when i saw those

watermelons

on the side

of the freeway

it was the first time

i'd ever considered

eating roadkill.

Some Kind of Nostalgia

Jack T. Marlowe

there are gaps

in my photo album

like empty

parking spaces

where cars

and hearts

have been stolen

like time, the nights

we spent together

the weeks, months

and years

nothing more

than memories

now

forgotten relics

of when

there used to be

an 'us'

old polaroids

in the back

of your mind

like leftovers

shoved

to the back

of the fridge

slices

of cheap pizza

like cold

stiff

greasy

cardboard

or missing persons

chilling out

at the morgue

waiting

for someone

who cares

to come

and claim

them.

go ahead, pull the trigger

Jack T. Marlowe

there's

a single bullet

in the chamber—

snug, but

not comfortable—

and it

won't be lingering

for long

and

that's me

just waiting

for the hammer

to strike

firing the charge

shooting me

out of the barrel

towards

a moving target:

a meaningful life

powder-burned past

and blue inertia

about to be left behind

with cold corpses

of naked delusions

and bloodstains

of wasted time.

ballistic tests

may show

a projectile

pitted and

well-worn

by cynicism

but your

fingerprints

are all over

the weapon,

baby.

i hope

you enjoy

your vacation.

Jack T. Marlowe is a gentleman rogue from Dallas, Texas. A writer of poetry and short fiction, he is also a veteran of the open mic, including the Outlaws of the Spoken Word series. His writing has agonized the pages of Underground Voices, Zygote in My Coffee, Yellow Mama, Words Dance, remark, Cause & Effect, and elsewhere. Jack maintains an online presence at www.inkandblood.net