by Aaron Barry
we’re in a theatre
you’re wearing a dress
i’ve snuck in snacks
the guy to the left is probably a fed
the girl to the right is a lark
the lights go dim
the trailers wear tassels
the dialogue is sharp
the country is senescent
i hope someone’s illegally recording
socrates was a film critic
he saw into the projector room
i have too
we know where the shapes come from
we know who dances
who manages the flames
i sneak a kiss
it tastes of reese’s
to live is to make concessions
i’ll live only briefly
and smile, sometimes,
at the shadows presented
****
Aaron Barry is quickly becoming Public Enemy No. 1 in the contemporary lit scene. He’s the author of the literary cherry bomb Echolalia Review: An Anti-Poetry Collection (Pere Ube Press, 2025), Femoid (formerly Calamari Archive; now ind. p., 2025), pound, flesh (Mcbussy Publishing, 2025), and several other books. His work has been featured in over 150 publications and major media outlets worldwide. IG: @aaronmbarry; X: @ jasperceylon2.