marginaliapocalyptica
boy meets girl
waiting in line
to take a number
to get on the list
boy loses girl
at the test site
in a holding cell
all in yr head
boy finds girl
if this statement
is true-ish & a lie
is where you are
boy is phone trace
& satellite photo
& heat signature
girl is twig askew
or trail off cliff
or birdsong still
I am investigators
close the streets
this close to you
are you
you?
marginaliapocalyptica
yr cure is no
way to treat me
my pain rates
on a scale of 1
thru waiting room
X-ray & MRI
are no way to ID
required for entry
anesthesia is
no way to please
provide insurance
crack yr window
between 10 & 2
some Tuesdays
automate yr door
I trade kidneys for
what’s behind
euthanasia is
no way out of this
is not an exit
__________________________
Steven D. Schroeder‘s second book, The Royal Nonesuch (Spark Wheel Press, 2013), won the 2014 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award from Southern Illinois University. His poetry is recently available or forthcoming in Crab Orchard Review, The Laurel Review, and Four Way Review. He serves as a board member and contributing editor for River Styx and works as a Certified Professional Résumé Writer.
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