PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

by Jeph Johnson

for a short time,

after months with my eyes opened

feet numb from diabetes

before the ants crawled back inside

busy contemplating my fantasy 

baseball draft picks,

a cloud of doom permeated life itself

born from a comedy of odd experiences

involving alcohol and dancing girls,

where I tripped and fell down more flights of stairs

than I had originally climbed

hopeless and in reality knew 

things would never be okay- unless

my fantasies could be retracted

until I no longer resembled me at all

and I began to recognize it 

as failure and fatigue

as the numbness crept back, 

anxiety causing cold feet 

along with my diabetes

and scaring former friends,

aching all summer

I kept thinking of her husband

who works out for her

watching boys named Taylor

threaten with their joysticks

my rank in the league 

of passionate poets 

practicing frantic rhyme