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Mary Larson Valletta: poem
THE JELLYGUN
fly through the air ice
boat barge of
cream and kiss
halo moon tarred on your
heels
light of days light up the
circle
this hard story
the one no child
knows
lost and bleating
way off radar
chip of greed
tangled in the haywire
find me find us
failed bosom of the world
striped and sunning
wasted in longing
waxweed what stalesmell
all makes all models
settle in this shell
we break each other's backs
me and the chicken soldier
cowboy without a star
poor kid racks his brain
sweatsfever nightchills rodeovisions
his own hell
no horse no sunset
quickdraw hide your blade
this town's all dust and fade
it needs nobody
not even you
and jennydoll heaven help
the child
she cries can't wet
what a crime
off to Siberia burned like
ribeye a blunt
stew
our own Joan
our safety
Jew
over here
mister fork and his wife
packed it up danced away
cut up a
hill
one less knife
squarewheels offed himself
today
hobbled down toheaven
petty jokester our one class
clown
he had a habit
never could get round
that leaves three
children this place
no one loves
not even
the Man
frosted sungod big apple
our golden buddhaboy
blackbooted sprite
elfmonger
he keeps his appointments
clocksteady
yes he brings spokebrokes
hemtides fallenwomen
reinforcements
what he doesn't know
me and the rest me full of
sticky spit
bloodbullet
house of bile
never had a child
I spawn zeroes
more my style
not enough fun
no kind of gun
no danger to anyone
candyman you can't
your pity
we're not buying
send them back
all your
hams
they're better off
anywhere but
here all dreams
crawl
huddled hating
panning sky
waiting
perfecting our one
our beautiful
s-o-s
hole and truss
woes are us
on this island
this terrible sand
smoke faints
arrows stare
war's over
we're wanted
nowhere
Mary Larson Valletta's recent work appears online in The Doomed City. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.