We used to talk about the weather
as if we hadn’t invented it. These days
it’s all “how do you kill a sitting
president?” What I’m saying is
things do get better. Kinda.
I’m lying. All that sky does
is disappear into the water.
Idiots call that the horizon.
I can’t remember the alphabet.
All I’ve got for recall tonight is
television. Pat Sajak. Resort
vacations. Spin the wheel.
I’m lying. That’s why
you’re here. I’m here
because I’m out of cigarettes,
talking to the guy at the
corner store about the
coming war. He’s got a desert
eagle on his hip for anything.
He loves to talk about it.
When you buy your cigarettes,
make sure to ask. When
your card gets declined
he might run you credit.
If not, that’s the coming war.

Brendan Joyce is a busboy in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the author of Character Limit (2019), a collection of poetry originally published as a twitter thread. He can be found on Twitter at @nicetryofficer.