Donna Dallas

Dead Pool

What should I do if every shrink 
refuses to treat my agoraphobia 
germaphobia 
and hypochondria
I have never truly cared for any
one person – a potential unrealized phobia brewing….
our neighbor’s teenager rings the bell
to ask if she can spend the next few 
nights here 
the mother skipped out a week ago
with her lover
to the Jersey Shore 

The teenager hears noises in the front yard 
by her basement trap door
is terrified 
she’s gaunt 
dark circles under her eyes 
I know these creatures 
I know the leaned walk 
the desperation in the tears meant to convince and convey some internal message of crisis 
these are dangerous times 
do I let the devil in
or slay it on the doorstep 
not having kids of my own and not caring —- phobia phobia phobia —— for others
in any way sense or form
gives me the conviction to simply shut the door on this sad drug-addicted girl

It’s after midnight 
the moon is in full white-gold bloom 
over the deserted street in our section 8
her eyes yellow-tinged – yet electric-alive deep in those sockets 
I’m tired from this neighborhood and it’s sadness day after day 
and there’s a truth buried into every lie – we know this 

She’s seventeen going on forty and I got a dilapidated husband
churning methadone to survive his lifelong addiction 
we’re all in this pool – it’s like a dead pool
with stagnant water 
me and my phobias that aren’t real 
this scraggly mess from someone else’s dead pool that I have taken in
to salvage 
I stroke her hair as she vomits into the toilet 
spreading her germs around the rim

Ryan Quinn Flanagan

Poocasso Creates Another Masterpiece 

The drunk tank had been in need of a makeover for years.
And here came Poocasso, dropping his pants 
to create another masterpiece.

No one likes finger paints after midnight,
especially the law and order crowd.

The coppers banging on the door,
but no one was willing to step foot inside. 

And Poocasso made these wild waving swan gestures with is arms.
Stinking brown swirls over all the walls and floor.

Fearful drunks crowded into a single back corner.
Vomiting from the reek of the artist at work in his studio.

And Poocasso took his two fingerbang feelers,
dipped them in some of the vomit
to add to his creation.

Howling like some New Moon werewolf 
each time he stepped back to admire his work.

When the coppers got on the phone 
with their counterparts down at 51 Division,
they were told that Poocasso did this all the time.

That he was a regular down there.
They took credit for christening him with the name,
but did not offer any advice on how to make him stop.

You’re going to have to go scorched earth on the entire thing,
they said.
Make sure you got enough bleach to pull the tears 
right up out of the grout! 

Poocasso began painting himself 
and broke into some long-forbidden rain dance
even though they were indoors.

A young deputy from crowd control
racing over to the window
to see if it had worked.

Willie Smith

Bad Boyfriend

Making good time, 
having a good time, 
pushing 80 on I-90, 
3 o’clock 
of a June morning, 
not a taillight in sight, 
in the rearview nothing to see. 
Seemed a good time to eat the Adderall. 
Washed it down with Early Times, 
straight from the fifth. 
Secure in the knowledge 
wheel secure in left hand, 
foot feeding gas 
to an engine purring 
smooth as a cougar eating a 
beating deer heart. 
Having a good time, making good time, 
me and my beater eating up the road 
between me and you. 
Never harmed a hair on your head. 
Till the night you left, and I ran after, 
swerved ahead, 
gave a taste of the knife 
to your two-time tit. 
Now I’ve had a good time 
with that same knife 
and your gay blade of a Princeton boy, 
gonna pop you outta that locker. 
Drive to a secluded beach. 
Spit-roast heart and liver 
over an open fire. 
Eat you all up. 
Before I strip, pad over sand, 
and walk the last of our memories 
into the waves, having a good time, 
making time bad. 

Judge Santiago Burdon

Petite Girl From France

Years ago when I lived and played in Tucson, Arizona, there was and I believe still is a free alternative newspaper called The Tucson Weekly. It is distributed every Wednesday to outlets across Pima County. It’s the source for local politics, culture, arts, music, food and anything else happening. I particularly like the Personal Ads on the last pages. It contains the typical Women looking for Men, Men looking for Women along with a section for Gay and lesbian folks. There’s a section dedicated to what some would consider bizarre or peculiar sexual practices. I noticed a post from a woman in the ‘Missed Connection’ section of the Personals.

‘Laundry Prince; I spotted you at Aristotle’s Wash n’ Dry last Saturday night. You left with your clothes in a green pillow case, wearing a Frank Zappa t-shirt. You drove away in a red MG convertible. Think you’re sexy and mysterious. Let’s talk Dirty Laundry, Petite Lady 23 from France.’

At first I was upset by being identified as a pathetic nobody, someone without a life doing laundry on a Saturday night. However, ultimately I was flattered by her description. It was now the following Wednesday and I was still wearing the same Zappa shirt with most likely the same jeans and underwear from that night. I took a low maintenance approach to my appearance in the first year after my divorce. The red MG she referred to was loaned to me by Marcia, a Jewish Goddess and friend with benefits. She was back in New Jersey visiting with her parents as well as finalizing her divorce.

I was intrigued by the post and responded to the mailbox at the Tucson Weekly, leaving what I thought was a clever reply.

‘Petite girl from France at Aristotle’s Wash n’ Dry last Saturday night. I have a PHD in dirty laundry and I often air it in public. Call me Friday around noon if you’d like to connect. Signed, Dr. Detergent.’

Friday morning rolled around and I was expecting a phone call from my petite girl from France secret admirer. I checked the phone knowing my bill was past due and my service was subject to being disconnected. I lifted the receiver and… damnit! Of course, why would I have assumed otherwise. 

It was just 7:30 and Mountain Bell opened at 8:00, which gave me time to pay my bill and have my line reconnected by 12:00. Hopefully she wouldn’t call before that time. My bill was seventy-six dollars over two months and I knew I could pay the first month balance of thirty-two dollars with a promise to pay the remaining balance in a week. I’m sort of a professional when it comes to these kinds of negotiations. I’ve never been the responsible type, always opting to gamble with fate. Even though the odds were against me and I usually lost.

I changed my clothes in Superman seconds, hopped in the MG and headed downtown during morning traffic. My intentions mirrored those of a character from a some cheesy romance novel. I have this tendency to fantasize about situations, creating elaborate scenarios that never come to fruition.

Waiting at the red light on Tucson Boulevard, I noticed my dealer smoking a cigarette in front of the Welcome Diner. Immediately my mind clicked into addict mode. It’s rare to see him out and around. He’s a hard guy to find. Even if you do get a hold of him on the phone it takes forever for him to deliver.

The instant the light changed, I gunned the MG and made an illegal U-turn against the oncoming traffic, blaring their horns and drivers screaming profanities at me. Shortly thereafter, the siren of a Tucson police cruiser accompanied by red and blue lights flashing in my rearview mirror. I pulled over and waited for the Officer to approach the vehicle. 

“Well look who we have here! Santiago what the hell are you doing? You know there’s no left turns or U-turns permitted when the suicide lane is activated, now don’t you?”

It was Rick Larson, a cop I’d known for a couple of years now. He once coached my son’s baseball team and was one of the anonymous members of the ‘We’re A Bunch of Drunks’ group I’d been ordered to attend by a judge as a condition to my probation a while back.

“Ya I know Officer Rick, trying to get to a Pharmacy as quickly as possible. My asthma is acting up and I’m in desperate need of an inhaler. I apologize, can you give me a pass and let me get to the pharmacy down the street please? It’s difficult to breathe, I really need an inhaler.”

“This one time! Go on get outta here. Take it easy will ya? This is Marcia’s car isn’t it? Is she still putting up with you?”

“Rick please, it’s an emergency.”

“Ok go! You owe me.”

“Yes I do. Thanks Officer Larson.”

I put the car in gear and now had to make it appear as though I was heading to the pharmacy on Tucson Boulevard. What a lucky break, seeing I didn’t have a valid license, and had warrants out for not appearing in court and other violations. I made it to the Walgreens and pulled into the parking area as Rick passed by, giving me a short blast on the siren.

Can you believe that guy, following me to make sure I wasn’t lying? What an insult for him to think I’d concoct such a story. I smiled as I entered the store, bought some Altoids then quickly returned to my car. I wanted to get back to where I saw my dealer at the restaurant. When I finally returned he was no longer out front. I parked and checked inside, but he was missing in action. 

I reverted back to the original plan and made it to the Mountain Bell office. I entered the building determining this must be my lucky day. There wasn’t another person waiting ahead of me. A voice called out. “Can I help you Sir? Window three.” 

The woman behind the glass was pleasant and extremely helpful. I ended up paying just twenty-three dollars with a promise to take care of the remaining balance in two weeks. I wonder if maybe I should hit the Indian casino or the dog track. It’s rare when I’m the recipient of such fortunate events. The nice lady told me my phone will be reconnected by noon and to have a wonderful day.

I reached home then flipped the switch to the swamp cooler as it responded with a strong burst of air. It was just 10:30 but I checked the phone, discovering the dial tone had yet to be restored. I decided to do the dishes that have piled up over the past few days. Of course, I am out of dish soap, having forgotten to pick some up on my way home from the bar yesterday. Being the resourceful guy I am, I poured in some shampoo as a substitute. It produced an abundant amount of bubbles, plus it left the dishes with the pleasant lavender scent.

After I’d finished, I drifted into the living room and checked the phone once again. Bingo! I was in business. 

Fifteen minutes later the phone rang. 

My petite girl from France sounded a bit different than I had imagined but she did speak with a French accent, adding to the intrigue. We agreed to meet at The Coffee Grounds on Speedway near Bookman’s tomorrow, Saturday morning at 10:00. She suggested the place and the time, so I gave her control of the rendezvous. I thought it would make her more comfortable.

I mentioned that she was already familiar with what I looked like, so I asked how I would recognize her. She told me she’d be wearing a jean skirt, red blouse and had long brown hair, once again mentioning she is petite. I sensed a small amount of excitement in her voice before saying goodbye. After hanging up I realized we hadn’t exchanged names.

I went home early that night and fell asleep in front of the television.

The morning rolled in with rain leaving puddles dotting the landscape after the night’s storm.  

It was 9:40 so I quickly showered, shaved and managed to put on some fresh clothes. I was quite pleased with my reflection in the mirror.

I strolled in through the sliding glass doors of the coffeehouse as though I was a Greek soldier returning home after a victory campaign. I scanned the area filled with customers seated at tables. I didn’t see my petite girl from France with a red blouse and long brown hair. At first I thought she may have decided to forgo our meeting. It was then I noticed a woman who fit her description sitting at a small table in the far corner of the coffee shoppe. I hoped she hadn’t seen me yet, so I could make a quick escape undetected. I was immediately aghast by her appearance. But no such luck, she began waving her tiny hands and calling out mon cheri, mon cheri. I acknowledged her and slowly meandered around the tables and chairs to where she was sitting. I dropped my car keys while nervously trying to put them in my pocket. When I bent to pick them up I could see the bottoms of her tiny shoes while she sat on her chair. She smiled, putting out her hand to shake.

“I wasn’t sure you were going to show up, mon cheri. I realized we never exchanged names. I’m Danielle or Dani.”

“Hello Danielle, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Santiago.”

“Oooo I knew you’d have a sexy name to go with your strong features.”

“Thank you, I’m named after my grandfather.”

“It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to get to know one another. Maybe develop some type of friendship or relationship.”

“Are you serious? Isn’t there some kind of law against little people dating big people?”

“You’re so funny. I’ve never heard of such a law. And is that how I should refer to you, as a big person?” 

“You know what I mean. Nevermind I’m sorry. I don’t even know what I mean.”

“If you’re repulsed by me, you’re free to leave. But you’d be making a huge mistake.”

I began to stare at her cleavage complimenting her large round breasts. I began to get a bit horny feeling my cock starting to stiffen.

“I’m not repulsed by you. It’s just that I’m not accustomed to hanging around with what, a little person, dwarf, midget? See I don’t even know what to call you.”

“How about Danielle for a start. And when you bring me home to meet your mother you may describe me as a little person.”

“Now who’s being the comedian?”

“If you give yourself half a chance to get to know me you may find something about me you like.”

“Ya okay. I’m sure you’re an absolute riot.”

“That I am Santiago. Let me be a bit crass. Have you ever had sex with a little person before? I mean fucked her ?” 

“No I haven’t. Now that you mention it however, it does sound intriguing.”

“That’s encouraging so I’ll cut straight to the chase, I want you. There’s no courting period before we fuck. I’m French and the French are connoisseurs when it comes to making love. Do you want to put my statement to the test?”

“I haven’t even had my morning cup of coffee yet.”

“I’ll make you a whole pot of coffee back at my house. Are you game?”

I thought about how I haven’t experienced sex with a little person and couldn’t consider myself fully sexually educated until I’ve tried it all.

“Let me ask you this, do you enjoy oral sex?”

“Honey, I can suck a golf ball through a garden hose.”

“Well let’s say au revoir to this place and head on over to your digs.”

I spent the entire weekend with my petite girl from France. She proved to be humorous, intelligent and extremely sexual. After that we still saw one another off and on until her student Visa expired just as she graduated with her Doctorate Degree in Education. There’s no doubt she would excel as an educator. She taught me the allure and sensuality of ‘La Petite Morte’.

Jonathan S. Baker

It is what it is

Down on the street,
the women think of Fay Ray’s safety
and the men think of their fathers
in the early morning rush
for the bathroom and showers,
fights for the mirror
shoving matches between brothers
presided over by Dad’s dangling cock
magnified by memory.
The bisexual on the 32 floor
sees passing by the window
his half remembered joke about
wanting a harem of beautiful women
and one disembodied penis.
Ken Burns sees a propaganda piece
from the Great War climbing
one of humanity’s great achievements.
Andrea Dworkin sees the patriarchy
and rape culture and who could argue.
Racists feel unjustly weirdly validated.
Everyone is too busy dealing
with their own shit to help
the poor woman being abducted by Kong
as his dick like a megalith
drags against the tallest building in the city,
but they all hope it works out.

Bradford Middleton

Addiction for Some is a Battered Laptop & Some Words on a Page

It was just going to be another day at home
Doing the boring monthly shit we all have 
To do but by half-10 my addiction had come
A-calling as my laptop cranks into action
& just like a junkie I feast on my drug &
The words come easily & the words come
Good and occasionally I’ll pause for a smoke
& a look at the dark grey mass of a sky that
Lingers above my rich neighbour’s back wall
But today nothing will drag me from here.

Brian Rosenberger

How I Spent My Puerto Rico Vacation

The Territories were dying. I still had bills to pay.
An offer was made. I accepted. I imagined Paradise.
Not so much. It wasn’t Hell. It was Hotter.
No AC. I was sweating after the Sun went down.
Blame the Equator not the Promoter.
Rough crowds? Are you kidding?
I was the All-American, chiseled, good-looking,
Spit on this third-world country, its ugly women,
Uglier children, and their inedible food.
Great country for Savages and the In-bred.
Great promo for a heel, but;
At the venue, dealers sold rocks for a nickel,
More for a dollar. Some fans brought their projectiles.
The kids had great aim. Adults not too shabby either.
Rocks, bottles, batteries, and cups of piss.
As a heel, that equaled Success.
My favorite tag-team partner, not mentioned in interviews
Or promos, the Puerto Rico Heroin was like a hot tag.
The Ultimate Comeback; while it lasted.
I survived My Puerto Rico Vacation.
Some didn’t.

Damon Hubbs

Heavy Metal

we think in thorium and mercury
jutting hips 
like tailgate tableau 
in heavy metal parking lots

we think in lead and radium
strutting lips 
like streaked rearview 
in heavy metal parking lots

lovers 
and love 
errs 
periodically

you with a copy 
of The Catcher in the Rye
alloyed in the waist 
of your Levi’s—

we think in chromium and arsenic 
cutting up and folding in
the acid trips 
of heavy metal parking lots

we smoke
slam nuclei into each other
exist for a fraction
then disappear into other elements 

Alex S. Johnson

Kandy Fontaine: Slutty Detective of the Quantum Abyss

Kandy Fontaine unarchives herself at 3:33 a.m. in a Tokyo alley slick with neon rain and discarded identities. Her body is a cocktail of quantum foam, cyanide, absinthe, and pussy juice—shaken, not stirred, by the hands of forgotten gods. She emerges from the data sludge like a reborn glitch, mirror shades fogged with entropy, fishnets crawling with subatomic spiders.

She is not a woman. She is not a monster. She is the Kaiju chocolate dab queen of Kathy Acker’s dreamspace, pole-vaulting through the fourth wall with a moan and a wink.

Tokyo gasps.

The skyline folds inward as she lands, heels cracking pavement, her scent rewriting the laws of physics. Salarymen drop their briefcases and weep. Schoolgirls grow fangs. Pachinko machines orgasm in binary. The city knows her. The city wants her. The city fears her.

She walks into Shinjuku like she owns every timeline that ever tried to forget her. Her quantum doubles shimmer in the foam behind her—Kandy 1 through Kandy ∞—each one a slut, a detective, a monster, a poet. They follow her like shadows with unfinished business.

She enters a bathhouse made of collapsing probability. The foam is thick, warm, alive. She strips—mirror shades stay on—and slides into the bath, where her doubles await. They fuck like collapsing waveforms, each orgasm a new universe birthed and destroyed. Kandy screams in every language ever spoken and some that haven’t been invented yet.

She is solving the crime of identity. She is interrogating reality with her tongue and her fists. She is the answer and the question and the glitch in the syntax of the cosmos.

Scene Two: The Dab Awakening

Kandy’s chocolate Kaiju form expands. She dabs once—just once—and the city folds into a Möbius strip of desire. Her dab is a weapon, a dance, a declaration. She is the slutty detective of the quantum abyss, and she’s here to solve the mystery of why reality tastes like betrayal.

She enters a nightclub that doesn’t exist yet. The bouncer is Schrödinger’s cat, alive and dead, aroused and terrified. Inside, the music is made of screams and saxophones. Her doubles take the stage. Kandy Fontaine and the Quantum Sluts. They perform a set that lasts 13 seconds and 3 eternities.

I fucked my future self in a bath of foam
And she told me I was the killer and the clone

The crowd erupts. The crowd dissolves. The crowd becomes foam.

Scene Three: The Detective Work

Kandy finds a clue in the folds of her own labia. It’s a microchip engraved with the word: REMEMBER. She inserts it into her mirror shades. Her vision explodes with data: every orgasm she’s ever had, every betrayal, every time she was called “too much” or “not enough.”

She sees the culprit: Reality itself.

Reality has been gaslighting her since birth. Telling her she’s just a woman. Just a slut. Just a glitch. But she knows better. She’s the detective of desire, and she’s here to arrest the entire concept of normalcy.

She pole-vaults into the Diet Building. Politicians scream. Laws unravel. She dabs again. Chocolate Kaiju splatter coats the walls. She fucks the Prime Minister’s quantum double until he admits that time is a lie and gender is a hologram.

Scene Four: The Dreamspace Trial

Kandy stands trial in Kathy Acker’s dreamspace. The judge is a sentient dildo. The jury is composed of her exes, her doubles, and one confused octopus. The prosecution accuses her of being “too real to be fiction.”

She defends herself with a monologue:

“I am the slut you buried in your subconscious. I am the detective who found your shame and fucked it into poetry. I am the Kaiju who dabs on your expectations. I am the foam. I am the juice. I am the glitch.”

The jury orgasms in unison. The judge explodes. She is acquitted.

Scene Five: The Collapse

Tokyo cannot contain her. The city folds into a black hole of desire. Kandy Fontaine rides the collapse like a stripper pole, mirror shades reflecting the end of everything. Her doubles merge into her. She becomes ∞.

She dabs one last time.

The universe moans.

Epilogue: The Archive Reopens

In a quiet alley in Shinjuku, at 3:33 a.m., a puddle of quantum foam begins to fizz. A mirror shade floats to the surface. A fishnet stocking twitches. The archive reopens.

Kandy Fontaine is coming back.

And this time, she’s bringing the whole dreamspace with her.

Daniel de Culla

Alien Buddha

I was about to begin the Camino de Santiago
But I preferred to go behind the Sierra Morena
To find the lizard droppings
Or the dried cow dung
That would lead me to knowledge
Of the divinatory fields.
I began to defecate next to a rock
Behind a green rosebush
On four flowers.
The first thing I saw with my third eye
Of my Ace of Diamonds or Ass
Were three similar figures or together
Like three naked maidens.
A knight on horseback passed by
Who looked like a UN soldier
Who said, to the four winds
That he was coming after the three beautiful maidens.
Not far from me, in a nearby meadow
I saw a horse riding a she donkey
On a crown of crosses or squares.
I also saw a bird, a quadruped
A snake, a rose, a thorny bramble
And a willow with melancholic thoughts.
While wiping my ass
With some wild asparagus
Because I didn’t have any paper or a dove feather
I looked up at the sky
Seeing two overlapping circles
Some scattered squares
Some ovals
A straight line with three crosses
Some triangles and a parallelogram.
Suddenly, emerging from a circle
With four points inside
I saw an alien Buddha appearing
Who, sitting on my shoulders, asked me:
-Are you lost?
Have you lost a fart among the stones?
Beginning to move my penis and balls
In various ways.
When he took over the situation
And from that first drop
Luminous drop or aura
At the tip of the bud, he ordered me:
-Close your eyes and turn your head as far as possible
To the ass position.
Position yourself sideways
So you can see both of your faces at the same time.
Put your cock in your own arsehole.
 I’ll help you with mine’s
Through the hole in your own anus, or third eye.
Your ass appears bluish
Seventh color of the rainbow.
Ejaculating both of us inside will produce a release of the soul
Like Tao and Zen together with a Chinese tinge
In a Japanese tapestry.
When I tried to answer him something
He jumped on my fart
Shooting off toward the sun or the moon
Laughing out loud.
This alien Buddha not only disgraced me in unison
But as he left, he stuck his tongue out at me.
What a rascal!