Published May 15th, 2024
NYC Poetry Magazine Contest #1 – First Place
by Meredith Aristone
i did not partake
dirty realism & bukowski, but not on the same plate
listening to blink 182 from the buffalo wild wings at atlantic terminal but not in the same life
as i am in now
this one stretches like a gift
and i try to cater to the vessel so i can enjoy the elasticity without being cut through by window pellet vices
turned on and ashamed by the destructive nature through which i have found to self soothe as if
assholes live forever and
there are gods ( plural ) at a dance party handing out wisdom elixirs and poppers
is a funeral a graduation ceremony?
my frontal lobe party is looming in an ominous way
everything is coming up meredith: histrionic and polytheistic and oppressive and torrential and tyrannical
roses thorned by a desperation that doesn't sleep
and a city that both sedates and terrifies me
loneliness conglomerate / emptiness capital
the diagnosis is poetry and in my dreams and in my life there is an ever evolving carousel of people who will never know me
swapping spit and vocabulary words
quitting and unquitting smoking for the story and the self hate
nose ring digging into flesh
lonely apartment nights, pink sheets and reality tv
i want to root for the character that I am but to do so apparently I have to take action in the narrative of who i'm becoming
and my roommate says i'm surrounded by geniuses
and it's a good sign that my first instinct wasn't to drink liquor
i have the claws of a beast but not the hair of the dog:
pelo de perro
About the Poet
Meredith Aristone resides in New York, New York, United States.
Read the poet's biography on Meredith Aristone's Artist Page.
This poem is also featured in Wax Poetry and Art Magazine #4, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in NYC Poetry Magazine:
True Heart
by Guohua Li
NYC Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
- Visit the main Wax Poetry and Art Submissions Page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
- This website and all contents ©Kirk Ramdath and specified artists.
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