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Syndic Literary Journal

“1 & 2” ∼ Page 8 ∼ by J.H. Johns & Paul Churchill Mann

Photo by Dariusz Pacak

“WE’RE STOCKING UP”
by
J. H. Johns
(Copyright © J. H. Johns 2017)

We listened up
and stocked up,
but that’s not all-
at Waldbaum’s,
B.J.’s,
Costco’s,
and Pathmark,
but that’s not all-
we started
with
water,
dried beans,
powdered milk
and canned goods-
but that’s not all;
then
we got
matches,
bottled gas,
briquettes
and grills-
but that’s not all;
we next
turned to
gas masks,
weapons,
boats
and Cipro-
but that’s not all;
we’ve gone on
to cell phones,
setting aside cash,
planning an escape,
stashing potassium iodide-
in case of attack;
how much more
can there be,
how much more
can we do-
but that’s not all…

“WE JUST CAN’T LEAVE HERE”
by
J. H. Johns
(Copyright © J. H. Johns 2017)

We just can’t leave here-
or we would;
and go somewhere
far away,
far enough away-
to leave this place for good.

“WE WENT TO BREEZY”
by
J. H. Johns
(Copyright © J. H. Johns 2017)

We went to Breezy;
the waves were near calm,
the ocean was empty,
the skies were clear-
we went to Breezy;
we went to Breezy;
where we could see
the towerless skyline
of Manhattan-
we went to Breezy;
we went to Breezy;
where we tried to read
the gigantic smoke signal
to a vanquished past-
we went to Breezy;
we went to Breezy;
and walked to the end,
turned around
and started back-
we went to Breezy;
we went to Breezy;
in the silence
of the day,
in the quietude of the time-
we went to Breezy;
we went to Breezy;
feeling we were safe,
knowing that we were threatened,
our life redefining our lives-
we went to Breezy.

“AND NOW WE WAIT”
by
J. H. Johns
(Copyright © J. H. Johns 2017)

We’re different
than the rest of them now;
they can still only imagine
what we’ve been through;
now we’re veterans,
we’re prepared-
or so they tell us
and we want to believe;
we know the feeling,
the sounds,
the smells-
we know who we are
and they know it, too;
we want to hear
that it’s over,
so we can stop watching and listening,
looking and expecting-
but we’re not sure;
and we wait;
with the images
and the stories,
the losses
and our memories;
together;
jumbled and piled;
we wait
and wait
and wait
and now we wait,
even more…

 

 

Compiled/Published by LeRoy Chatfield
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