by Alex Rost
****
I crack an energy drink and suck
that carbonated caffeine all
up in me, hear the echoes of
my kidney’s cries, down there
bitching their usual bitching—
“This fuckin idiot!”
“It’s called a monster!”
“Add to the stones!”
I tell them to fuck off, dare them
to quit on me, double dog dare
the motherfuckers to fail, and when
I light a cig and my lungs let
out their resigned sigh I say,
“That’s what I want.
That’s the attitude I’m looking for.”
****
Today I read on my phone that coral
live under water but can still drown.
I don't need to think about it,
in any way,
to understand completely.
****
Let’s put the ham on the table—
this life isn’t so bad.
It’s just that remembering the past
is less painful
than imagining the future.
****
It’s a streak, a lifetime of eras repeating endlessly on a loop.
When a difficult era cycles out, I always think,
How did I live like that?
Just like when I look back on a good era, I always think,
How did I live like that?
Although they are different, they are only different in feeling.
Because when I line up the facts, the facts say,
It is the same. The facts say,
It will always be the same.