Poetry – John Sweet

[because we all know whose fault it was]

tell her the nails that we drove

through her feet are beautiful,

or tell her the pain is only temporary

give her the seat at

the head of the table

a cupful of blood or a

cupful of tears, and let her

name her son before you take him away

let her believe in god if

that’s what she needs

there is no shame in acknowledging

the scope of human weakness

John Sweet sends greetings from the rural wastelands of upstate NY. He is a firm believer in writing as catharsis, and in compassionate nihilism which, as luck would have it, has all the best bands. His published collections include NO ONE STARVES IN A NATION OF CORPSES (2020 Analog Submission Press) and THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY THIS IS GOING TO END (Cyberwit, 2023).