A Poetry Showcase by Joseph Fulkerson

joke’s on you 

Wanna 
take a trip
with me 
to the brink 
of sanity? 

Joke’s on you,
we’re already 
there.

the moment

wasn't when my 
momma told me.


No, 
it was after 
the red-headed stripper
with the petite body & 
small breasts 
took my dollar bill &
repeatedly 
slammed my nose 
into her breastplate
to the beat of that popular
hip-hop song 


then


through watering eyes 
& blurring vision I 
heard her say, "There's something 
about you…you're different."


That's when 
I realized 
I was special.

asleep at the wheel 

It feels
as though
something has broken 
inside me. 

I lead a life of quiet desperation. 

I want to clear the air 
with my screams.
Deplete the oxygen completely.

I was supposed to be something by now. 

How do you abandon all hope? 
One foot 
in front of the other. 

We all thought we would 
conquer the world,

that we would be witness 
to the magnitude 

or see the birth 
of some great discovery, 

that the universe 
would willingly give up 
her secrets, just because 
we had the courage to ask. 

Sadly, that’s not how it played out.
Our lives have become 
a celebration of mediocrity 

documenting 
every facet
in excruciating detail 

recounting
the minutiae of 
our days for complete
strangers 

chasing likes 
& posting status updates
as if it were
of the utmost 
importance

responding to 
most conversations 
with emojis
& Hashtags.

What Hashtag best describes your life? 

#roteexistence #asleepatthewheel
#barelythere  #2ndbestlifeatbest #hardtowritewiththeseshackleson



Bio: Joseph Fulkerson runs Laughing Ronin Press and is the author of eight books. His most recent, Cultishly Happy was published by Between Shadows Press. He lives and works in the bourbon-soaked hills of Western Kentucky.
https://fulkersonscorner.bigcartel.com/
www.LaughingRoninPress.com

A Fevers of the Mind Quick-9 Interview with Joseph Fulkerson