OCCUPIED TILL I DIE
A poem by J. Alan Nelson
Do I try to keep busy,
stay occupied until I die?
I’ve been in cheap bars
gulped cheap beer from Australia .
I’ve written letters to famous authors.
I’ve tried to intensify my experiences.
I want to give up everything, give up everything.
I’m tired of being grumpy all day,
worrying whether my wife hates me for not having a new
car,
whether I’ll make my income taxes,
why I’m stuck in this place
why I walk a tiny bit slower every day.
I peek from the garage door, wary about entering the
way
of the world, having second thoughts
about a woman that repeats a catch phrase a bit too
much
and works in bulk discount sales.
It’s a trap, I mouth,
some pyramid scheme, or direct sales ploy.
I decide to get a cheap haircut
go to an absurdly expensive restaurant
where the waiters dress better than me
drink a bottle of wine,
pretend the woman forgot our date,
and leave.
Fall 2007 Poetry
.ETCETERA by Ron Miraflores
Featured Poet: Judson Hamilton
Editor’s Choice: Michael Ogletree
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING by Patricia
Fillingham
PAMONA HILLS by Daniel Wilcox
YOU AND LANGSTON HUGHES by Rosemary
Pennington
QUIET ASYLUM by Candy Tothill
THE TRAVELER AWAKES. HER TRAIN AWAKES
by Nick Courtright
DYING ALONE by Helen Peterson
THE LIE by Daniel S. Irwin
NEWSPAPER PHOTOS OF THE BROKEN WORLD by
Donna Munro
OCCUPIED TILL I DIE by J. Alan Nelson
BECAUSE LOVE IS LIKE THE SHORTEST DAY by
Dave Migman
YOUR EYES ARE by Jennifer Bowles
OF BEAUTIFUL SOULS by David McLean
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