Unlucky Boxers

We all had that friend

with a BB in his face--

the answer man

with a lion's share

of walking pneumonia.

Shorthand in muscle memory

as smooth as silk

they rent him out for parties

every now and then.

Like unattended candles

we sing it with conviction.

There's no abacus present

at campfire tales.

Defrocked means

not photogenic.

The synopsis

is bleak at best

a refresher course 

in the way you taste:

dead gardens

blood gutters

set back to factory settings

fed too well

to survive the apocalypse

barring acts of god

and men with axes.

Currently reading:

"Catalogue of Bannerman's Island Arsenal, No. 30-A" by Thom Johnson.