Jack T. Marlowe - Two Poems

If It Ain't Broke…But It Is

the valley is
free from frost
and suicide
the sun
ripening above
the horizon
a pale
pomegranate
veiled in
the finest
Afghan cotton
gauze

the weather in
Marjah is
near-perfect
but the farmers
still lament
the landing of
Blackhawks
in their
poppy fields

unconcerned
about
wilting flowers
in East Dallas
like Maddie
or Juliette
tying off in a
section eight
hell-hole
before
heading out

for another
round of
blow jobs and
submachine
back-alley fucks
to pay for the
next fix
and the one
after that
because the
last one
didn't fix
one
goddamned
thing.



What Passes for Civilization, Passes

sunflowers
shed petals
like tears, as
triggermen
and bombers
compete with
insurance men
and bankers

to see who
can do the
most damage
to what
passes for
civilization

and
the rats
chatter
and
reptiles
hiss, both
salivating
at the
sight of
humankind

--neither
as human
nor
as kind as
the word
implies--

sinking
to its
collective
knees
praying for
hope and
change

while
a toothless
savior
labors to
gum the
apocalypse
to death

an old dog
with
a rawhide
chew toy
in his mouth



Jack T. Marlowe is a gentleman rogue from Dallas, TX. A writer of poetry and fiction and a veteran of the open mic, his work has appeared in numerous zines, online and in print. Jack is also the editor of Gutter Eloquence Magazine (www.guttereloquence.com).