nine
such a cruel
incomplete
number
it's an almost
just like everything else
in his life
he was nine days early
too early to say hello to the world
and nine days later
he almost died
but he didn't
and when he was nine
he suffered in silence
for nine months
under a greedy
and invasive hand
nine years later
he waited nine months
to meet someone
who was just not strong
enough to take a first breath
it took just nine minutes
for the doctors to explain
and for him to die
inside
she's been planning
since she was nine
to go in the ninth month
does she still want that?
oh well
he's been planning
to go
nine days later
where will they go?
ha! nine times nine to the power of nine
he's wondered
what's after
he hopes he's not like a cat
with nine lives
one is just too much
he knows he's run through
at least eight of them
spiders have eight legs
so that's safe
but the spiders he sees
(they aren't really there)
they have nine
and nine big eyes
he has nine cuts
on each wrist
so he has to cut just
once more
so he'll have ten
nine is bad
nine is cruel
he's glad there's twenty
in a pack
he smokes at least half
never leaves nine
never smokes nine
there are nine things
he should be doing
but hasn't done
his mother called him
nine times last night
but have up
why couldn't you just go ten?
he went to a ninth birthday party
ended up in a fight
what kind of person does that?
avoids ninth street
bus number nine
ninenineninenineninenine
just. one. more.
and then things will be okay.
he has nine reasons to die
nine ways to do it
nine reasons to stay
but he hates
nine
YOU ARE READING
BURN (Wattys2015?)
Poetry"Poetry...is thoughts that breathe and words that burn."--Thomas Gray "Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash." --Leonard Cohen Poems on the tough stuff in life. Poems on the crazy good stuff in li...
