the sparrow, devoured by John Sweet

the sparrow, devoured

hills a darker grey than the sky and no one
here and no one there and all of
the children lost in the woods

all of the priests as pale as vampires

all of the gods without money
without rides
taking back roads out of dying
factory towns

the kingdom of oblivion
in every direction

the drugs
which never do what they promise

turned to me
said she was happy until the
day she hung herself

said the walls would hold
but then the ceiling caved in

sky looked like rain and then it
started to snow

 

John Sweet sends greetings from the rural wastelands of upstate NY. He is a firm believer in writing as catharsis, and in the continuous search for an unattainable and constantly evolving absolute truth. His latest poetry collections include HEATHEN TONGUE (2018 Kendra Steiner Editions) and A FLAG ON FIRE IS A SONG OF HOPE (2019 Scars Publications).