Three is a Magic Number

The moon is full. Strike that. The moon is. Strike that.
There is no moon. There is a motorcade. Motorcycle
cop in full regalia, an American flag flies stiff in back.
The hearse is black, the black of silence; the kind that
crowds out light. Squeeze my hand want to know you
are still there. I’m having a premonition. Count the cars
with me: twothreefour, a hawk circles. The moon’s over
head after all, perched on a branch ready to fly.

The Shot Heard Round the World

The jukebox whirs and murmurs to a stop. Lipstick
law takes over after 2AM. Every cliché ever heard
gets lined up, ice-watered down, poured into a cup
along with sawdust and pool chalk. Go ahead suck
the lime. Lick the salt. Choke on it down. All bets
are off since the clean slate called it a night. This is
the land of a-plenty, land of absolute memories.
Last call is a random, desperate kiss.

Elementary, My Dear

The walls are suffocating, shedding their skin.
We’re not born for permanence. Adam made
the decision for us. We are destined to die of
exposure in the presence of love. Beauty: the
bite of an apple, a flash of white skin, one last
breath on a pane of glass. Sin: a constituency
of stars, a cabal of angels shuffling over a pin
head; a brand new coat of paint.
—

Alex Stolis lives in Minneapolis; he has had poems published in numerous journals. Recent chapbooks include Justice for all, published by Conversation Paperpress (UK) based on the last words of Texas Death Row inmates. Also, Without Dorothy, There is No Going Home from ELJ Publications. Other releases include an e-chapbook, From an iPod found in Canal Park; Duluth, MN, from Right Hand Pointing and John Berryman is Dead from White Sky e-books. His full length collection, Postcards from the Knife Thrower, was a runner up for the Moon City Poetry Award. His chapbook, Perspectives on a Crime Scene and a full length photo/poetry collection, Pop. 1280 are forthcoming from Grey Borders books.