5 Poems by J.J. Campbell

only the guilty run out of fear

let's go swimming
in a frozen lake

get out the snowboards
and go to the desert

bring plenty of
sunscreen for three
months in a cave

go rob the bank
a block away from
the police station

calmly walk away

only the guilty run
out of fear

go introduce a rabid
dog to your newborn
son

take bets on who
makes it out alive

always remember the
sheriff plays for free

unless you want that
newly built grow room
to become property
of the state

and only repeat the
lies you believe

otherwise you sound
like a fucking fool

avoiding conflict

string the holiday lights
up like hope still exists
in this world

be it bliss, ignorance
or a silly faith

you don't avoid
wearing it with
pride

you obviously didn't
grow up with the pain
of abuse or ever take
a fucking punch at a
school recess

avoiding conflict might
have worked for you

but i'll bet you all 37
cents in my savings
account

that once you taste
the joy of defeating
someone

you'll never avoid
conflict again

the rainbow

somewhere over the rainbow
there's an old man with a
gun in his mouth

having freshly penned his
last words he's comfortable
with his goodbye

somewhere over the rainbow
a bleeding child is placed
in a dumpster

a bleeding teenager tries
to quickly run away

guilt not far behind

somewhere over the rainbow
a good woman still cares

though she's grown tired
of trying to figure out why

somewhere over the rainbow
a man goes down to one
knee and asks his lovely
wife for a divorce

somewhere over the rainbow

a dreamer asks to go
back to the other side

to the other side

you can feel the
sweat on the back
of your neck as
soon as you walk 
out the door

you look at the cats
and how miserable
they appear to be

you start speaking
spanish to them out
of a habit taught to
you years ago

that should be enough
food and water to get
them to the other side

you don't allow them
inside anymore after
reading one too many
stories about household
pets eating deceased
owners

a sad kitten looks up
from its bowl and you
walk away

you're not going to
be fooled again

the invisible muse

she's the kind of woman
that knows she's incredibly
attractive yet gets pissed
when she's in her finest
clothes and men start
staring

the kind of woman that
wakes up each morning
believing the majority of
the earth is beneath her
yet will brag all day long
about her love of god and
work in the church

the kind of woman that
wants to be spoiled with
lavish gifts and treated
like a queen yet don't be
surprised when you catch 
her sucking dick in the
corner booth of a dive
bar with a latin man
twelve years older
than her

the kind of woman that
never takes responsibility
for her actions because
quite frankly she's never
had to

the kind of woman that
is embarrassed by her
family and the weekly
therapy session

the kind of woman that
knows she's really invisible
once that little blue pill
wears off

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