Being Young, 21

Being young, 21, is everything
For wisdom does not come with age
Only tired bones and fade
And maturity means accustomed to
The crumbling of a once great temple, you
Invisible now, featureless, faceless
That’s the rub of the wrinkly skinned
Who live in seaside towns, with mothballs twinned
And all this whilst the beautiful people
Run like gazelles, screw like rabbits, have such delicious fun
God, it’s just not fair, though once I was there
In the class of being young, 21

I Live Galvanized (Vivo Galvanizado)

Jonathan Simkins lives in Denver, Colorado. He is the author with artist Justin Ankenbauer of the ekphrastic chapbook, Translucent Winds (Helikon Gallery & Studios, 2016). The title poem of his second chapbook, This Is The Crucible (The Lune, 2017), received a Best of the Net nomination. His poems have appeared in various publications, including Crack […]

Where Else, Besides Death, Do We Go for Such Loss?: Reflections on Prom

I see them around town, like migratory birds landed, briefly at the steak house: boys and girls in their prom finery. The boys look awed. Ordinarily they would be embarrassed, but the creatures seated beside them – the girls – have been so miraculously transformed. There is no appropriate response save wonder. Although that is […]

Grandpa comes out of the closet every Thanksgiving

Other than my house exploding from time to time, there are sometimes coincidences within our hearts that are less volatile, but equally remarkable and difficult to explain. Since it is the season and Thanksgiving is in a few days, of course it’s only appropriate to reflect upon my own family’s Thanksgiving stories and traditions. For […]

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youth

Being Young, 21

I Live Galvanized (Vivo Galvanizado)

Where Else, Besides Death, Do We Go for Such Loss?: Reflections on Prom