Dustin Brookshire
Carrier of Souls
There is an owl who sits
on the shoulder of every man who takes his guns
into a nightclub, superstore, or anywhere
that life is for the taking.
When the … Read more
“None of This Had to Happen- Channeling Jane Hirschfield”
None of this had to happen. Not the argument. Not the terrible timing. Not lateness. Not the alarm that wasn’t set and not the too-late television.
The Netflix service might … Read more
A Tale of Black Friday
In the early 1950s
on the day after Thanksgiving
kicking off the holiday season
there had been so many shoppers
in downtown Philadelphia
celebrating sale prices,
overflowing the streets
bunched … Read more
On the Many Shades of Protest (& Prayer)
I. blank sheets of paper
stand like soldiers
(invisible) ink speaks *
II. police tape hugs
weeping willow’s trunk
limbs bend in prayer **
III. tourists teeter as
nightfall weeps… Read more
KFC apologizes after German Kristallnacht promotion

Is it the crisp flakey morsels that Germans consumed
before the computer system error, chicken wetted
on … Read more
Twit Live-Tweets Twit’s Own Funeral
and no one notices Twit is
not dead and is live-tweeting Twit’s
funeral because everyone
is live-tweeting Twit’s funeral.
Twit leads the procession to Twit’s
gravesite. On the way Twit … Read more
Donald Trump Has Ruined My Life
Last night’s Breaking News! had no surprises, no shocking
revelations, no human drama. Just another humdrum story
of a feckless authoritarian and his desperate need
to bask in the blaring … Read more
Failure to perform
I hear a Senator say Democracy
is a lady of the night and we are a republic
of virtue so, there is no need to count every vote
The Senator … Read more
Take heart
Ukraine! Your flag of cerulean blue
and sun-gold says sky’s the place
where the improbable reigns: clouds
and things with wings. Who’d have
imagined such a fertile
thirst as sky?… Read more
When life gives you lantern flies, make honey…?
When I first heard of the honeydew honey, inspired and conspired
by the pesky lantern fly, my first thought (clearly not the best thought)
was of a cliched “honey to-do … Read more
Lockdown October 5, 2022
now on full lockdown
this is not a drill
Snapchat erupts with unfounded rumours
sadistic humors
we churn like a cumulus
count death with a calculus
huddle in a corner… Read more
Happy Meals & Unhappy Times
an abecedarian
(interrupted by two nuggets / two fries)
on happy meals & unhappy times
/ what happens when mcdonald’s nuggets are nothing
more than a reminder that lists (& … Read more