Author Information
"Virtual vs. Fantasy"
by Jeph Johnson
for a short time,
after months with my mind closed,
fog slowly rising from the tips of my ears,
before the seasonal allergies hit,
busy contemplating my fantasy
baseball draft picks,
there arose this tinge of normalcy,
born from a comedy of odd experiences
involving Viagra and dancing girls,
where I walked tall and proud,
self-assured, and virtually knew
things would be alright- for awhile
this virtual knowledge compounded
until it no longer resembled me at all
and I began to recognize it
as something foreign
as the fog crept back,
tickling my ears,
while it entered my mind
changing consistency,
and sweating out all summer
I kept thinking of her son
wearing that Braves cap
watching men named Carlos
threaten with their bats
my rank in the league
of passionate poets
practicing frantic rhyme
