on an empty stomach

by J.J. Campbell

gone are the days

of just how many

drugs you can take

on an empty stomach

and live

those glorious nights

of cheap sex, cheap

booze and balconies

to see the world fall

at once

it was all once so

endless

but like everything

it’s a lost elton john

song as the end comes

rushing to greet your

aging face

gravity wins again

J.J. Campbell (1976–?) is old enough to know better. He's been widely published over the years, most recently at Synchronized Chaos, Horror Sleaze Trash, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, The Rye Whiskey Review, and Mad Swirl. You can catch him most days on his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)

Cindy Rosmus originally hails from the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ, once voted the “unfriendliest city on the planet.” She talks like Anybodys from West Side Story and everybody from Saturday Night Fever. Her noir/horror/bizarro stories have been published in the coolest places, such as Shotgun Honey; Megazine; Dark Dossier; The Rye Whiskey Review, Under the Bleachers, and Rock and a Hard Place. She is the editor/art director of Yellow Mama. She’s published seven collections of short stories. Cindy is a Gemini, a Christian, and an animal rights advocate. She has recently branched out into photo illustration.