The weather is sickly,
and a neglected koi pond
needs the leaves raked out.
My sloth has no excuse.
This malaise quells the urge
to cut grass,
repaint the shutters,
or get a divorce.
Someone has decided
to shoot a shotgun
at imagined zombies.
The neighbor's dog
is half-wild.
Our community's
only road is wicked,
and not kept up by the county.
A busted up truck
roars east,
and west,
then east again.
The asshole
is inches off my front yard.
Outside this lopsided house,
there's a weakly-rigged swing set
where you tried to explain
why you never wear
the only wedding ring
I could afford.
This mid-30's attempt
at normalcy
is sadistic.
Clifford Brooks is a poet, freelance writer, and teacher living in Georgia. His first book of poetry, The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics, was released in August 2012 by John Gosslee Press. Since then, the book has been nominated for the Pulitzer, Georgia Author of the Year, and three Pushcart awards. Currently, Clifford is haunting every corner of the American South to bring his next book of verse, Athena Departs, into full bloom.