"There's Nothing Like a Near-Death Experience to Really Wake You Up in the Morning," "The Painter's Lament," and "Blind to the Fact"
There's Nothing Like a Near-Death Experience to Really Wake You Up in the Morning
faulty wiring leading to a
shocker in the shower stall
hungover falling down a flight of stairs, landing
at the feet of the building manager
The Painter's Lament
yellow came and told me
paint a dog, find a corner
bodega, steal me some
of them Swisher Sweets, while
red gave me the finger, called
911, kicked me in the shins
and snitched to blue that
I missed curfew, slept in,
and burned the eggs as
the deflated moon, along
with all the victims of the world
whistled in chorus, Ode to Joy
Blind to the Fact
I must be
blind to the fact that
I’m mimicking my youth.
my girl used to say,
Don't ever shave!
now I’m vanquished from one-night stands.
all that’s left
are memories of
the purses I dipped into,
the empty kegs,
the long walk home,
and always some damn cat
underfoot and
furious
at my doorstep.

Jay Passer, resident and native of San Francisco, has had work in print and online, appear all over the globe since 1988. He is the author of ten chapbooks, a few still available on Amazon.