Minor Speculum

Another Failure

By Brad

I have written several poems and just last year I tried for the first time to submit my work in to be published. Needless to say it didn’t work out. In fact I received no response at all, allowing my hopes to build up for over four months. The submission fee came with a years subscription to the magazine, which I had forgoten about until yesterday. It was a pleasent little reminder of my first writing failure. The following is one of three poems that didn’t make the cut.

Masks on Halloween Night

I dropped off a lunatic
and as I sped home
into the brisk Halloween night
I couldn’t help but feel worried,
not by the other drunkards
sporting their masks behind
the wheels of vehicles
sworn to protect no one.
No,
I worried about the drunkard I left,
wearing the most elaborately simple mask
I have ever seen.
A layered ensemble much like a
Picasso painting.
Strips of doubt and disappointment
crossed over different shades of pain
together
spiraling downward.
The whiskey eyes sang
self-destructive thoughts
wrapped in pure malice.
I could have saved him,
I wanted to save him,
but we cowards have ways of disappointing
one another.
Instead I lied awake in bed
in my own mask of agonizing fret
hoping he would make it through
the night.

Tags: contest failure masks Poetry poo

Nov 17, 2010 • Minor Speculum