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Justin S Wampler May 2022
"I don't recall that"
I say to her.

She may have mentioned it, sure,
But I can't really even remember what I had for breakfast, let alone something said two years ago...




"You don't listen,"
she tells me.
"You just let the words fall through you."

I smile, I agree.
I'm struggling with figuring out
what kind of reaction I should be having.
Should I be argumentative,
or empathetic?
What does she want me to say?
What does she want to hear?
I say nothing, just stand there and watch.

"It's like you're not even a real person,"
she mutters softly as she turns to walk away.
"I have no idea who you are, after all these years."

Before her hand touches the **** on my front door
she pauses, turns and looks me solemnly
in the eyes, her focus darting back and forth
between each of my irises.
I just look back at her, rather unflinchingly.

"You're a stranger Justin Wampler."

With that, she turns and leaves.

I crack a beer and ponder a bit.
Mostly not really thinking anything, just...
trying to look cool.
I peek over at the mirror on the wall
and think to myself ****,
contemplative's a good look for me.

Oh well.
.
Justin S Wampler May 2022
I used to see you
right here
in my dreams.
I used to see you,
you'd come
visit me.

I just want to be loved,
I only want you
to love me.

You would whisper
and quietly sigh,
I would tear the blue
right out of the sky.

Come and love me,
you billowy cloud.
I only ever just
wanted you around.

Now sleep deftly flees my needs,
and I hate seeing my ceiling.
Come and love me, come and say hi.
Come and visit my dreams tonight.
Justin S Wampler Apr 2022
The monkey leaned down,
whispered in my ear
"Don't forget to pick up more beer."

I nodded in agreement,
I nodded in rhythm
with the demons' song.

They whistled and
they smiled and
did the backstroke,
jauntily along,
through the river of whiskey
that I had tried
to drown them with.

A thousand-toothed yawn,
the monster finds it all too easy.

I don't even put up a fight,
I sit down at night
and forget.

I forgot.
Justin S Wampler Apr 2022
Bouts.

It comes in fits
and tantrums.

Intermittent
bursts of
responsibility.

I'll **** the place up
for two months,
then in one day I'll
clean everything.

One time Mom got sick of me
not picking up my room.
I was eight.
She turned into a whirlwind
and tore everything off my walls.
Ripped everything off my shelves.
Upturned my garbage can
and my tackle box.
She dumped everything
into a big pile
in the middle of my room.

I cried and
in my first bout
of responsibility,
I cleaned it all up.

Just to start all over again.
Justin S Wampler Apr 2022
When I'm done and
thoroughly drunk,
I always fill the bottle
back up with my ****.
That way,
when tomorrow graces me,
I'll be able to see
exactly what I spent my
hard earned
money on.

Also,
the bathroom is all the way over there
and I gotta ****
right now.

It's a win-win.
Justin S Wampler Apr 2022
Betrothed to a great and unending sorrow.
Grasping, wide-eyed, at advertisements
luring the wanting soul inside with
decadent promises of quality and joy.
Perfection marches on, lingering in the eyes
of millions, so that they may divulge themselves
of hard earned money for brief spurts of happiness,

and it is indeed true happiness,
even if momentary.
Clicking the blue purchase button,
the anticipation of package tracking.

Another thing.
Another thing to pile up, and throw away.

It's not the thing that's being purchased,
it's the promise of fulfillment.
It's the brief respite
from that great and gray cloud
to which we're all wed.
It's the moment of joy,
that's what's really paid for.

Oh, and have you seen that new cellphone?
I want one.

You should too.
Justin S Wampler Mar 2022
I want to taste the black ink bled
by my ever lonesome and worrying pen.

I want to paint the floors with
my innumerous words for
how I've been doing here.

In this **** hole apartment.

I love my apartment, wait, don't listen to me.
I'm grateful for all these golden opportunities.
Life shone brightly upon my needs.

I want to coat the back of the toilet in ****,
the bathtub in mold and mildew.

I want to rip the curtains to shreds
and ignite them into a funeral pyre.

I'll exhale smoke and smile through the carcinogens.
I'll bleed from my knuckles.
I'll snap every last pen I can find.

I'll snap every last pen.

Life has been good to me,
I'm genuinely happy.


I'm happy

and I'll **** you.
I'll **** me.
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