Volume 12, Issue 7
Autumn 2005

Reduced Speed Ahead

His bottle of e.d. pills rolls across the dash
as they speed through the turn
in his new red Porsche.
His heavy 'girlfriend' has frosted hair
instead of gray.
Middle age is a washed out memory
in the rear view mirror
as the Grim Reaper
leans over the backs of their seats
and glances at their speed.

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But First You Have To Love Yourself

Maybe moving back to the town
I grew up in was a complete mistake,
just chasing twenty year old ghosts.
When I left, everyone was older than me.
Now I'm one of them. The old.
Gray beard, anonymous pains that find
a new spot to warm each morning.
When I last lived here I was a punk,
and if that punk sat
next to my current self,
he'd smirk and chuckle,
not recognizing himself.
And I'd grumble about sitting
next to a know nothing
dolt.

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A Is For…

I enjoy talking about people
in the third person
who're seated next to me.
They could be geniuses,
but I'd still sound superior
as I tread on their insecurities
with my hand of friendship
on their knee.

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Full Circle

Anger smoked my emotions.
I was wrong.
When you and dad divorced,
he was the good guy.
His bedtime stories
were better.
I left just like he did
and walked for twenty years.
Now I'm coming home
and I wish I'd never left.

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Well

When you know something,
and know it well,
it's frightening.
If you know it,
you've reached the end,
and that leads to
a new beginning
in the unknown.

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Bottle Cap

In a tunnel,
struggling to get to the far end.
Family, friends await.
Refuse bruises, cuts my knees.
Twist off tops, ketchup bottles,
things that snails live in.
Anger gave me a shell,
but now I've nothing,
just the survival instinct
to get to the other end.

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Generations

The rusted cyclone fence
surrounds the boarded up house,
yellow, underneath the willow tree.
Fresh smoke rises from the black chimney.
The new owners have arrived.
Young, in love, anticipating
the future in their dream home.
It's good they don't know
the memories their house holds
for another couple, now old,
but once young, in love
and ...

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(Copyright 2005 by Raud Kennedy - No reproduction without express permission from the author)

Letter to the Author: Raud Kennedy at raud@raudkennedy.com

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