A BALLAD I WISH I WISH I RUN – By Sam Landry

A BALLAD I WISH I WISH I RUN
By Sam Landry

A Ballad I Wish I Wish I Run

stuck in the road
coiled under breath
deep under rolling
tides green from the
gall one can have
early in the morning
wiping the building
dew from the leaves
of the age-honored
christmas cactus
that mom gave me
as a seedling and 
in return I grew

from the dirt my eyes
rolled deep behind
the lids of every
kid taking a swing
at the man beating
the ever-loving shit
out of his ribs

Please, take one
That is not an insult
But I do not breathe
Anymore as a shrub
Forever meant to shed
Dog hairs and ripples
Formed from the flow
Of puke that settles
Into molten rock

Into the edges and crisp
A breeze that serves
As an alarm

As an alarm
I cannot wake
The birds resting
On chicken eggs

To Be In A Hole

In my belly
Sits the true
Origin story
Of every other
Moment alone
Nostrilly Inclined

Desert

I slit a line
Over ice cream
For strawberry

I do not understand 
Anatomy, clearly
This is sold 
Everywhere

About the Author:

Sam Landry is a Puschart Prize nominee, having his works published in Outlook Springs, The Scarlet Leaf Review, Nixes Mate Review, among others. He works in the non-profit sector, and in his free time he thinks about meals and deals and how useless it all is. His favorite food is pizza, and that comes up in most conversations, along with crippling depression and his website about magic cards, turnonemagic.com. He resides in Gloucester, MA with whatever wharf rats take refuge in the fridge.