Ken Kakareka
the poem
has been
good
to me
in times
of need.
my little
fix.
in between
novels
or
short stories
when
i don’t
know
what
the hell
to write
about.
the poem
lands
on me
like
bird shit—
good luck
they say
it is
and i
believe
that every
unannounced
poem
that’s ever
graced
my
door step
time
& time
again
like women
on bukowski’s
stoop
has saved
my life.
Ken Kakareka is an American writer nominated twice for Best of the Net.
another yr.
of working
in private
education
which i
fell into
at 21.
i’m 38
now.
the tribulations
of an
english major—
ask
john mulaney.
every yr.
i pep-talk
myself
into
getting out.
open
that bar
or some
kind
of business
that excites
you.
the writing
hasn’t
panned out
yet.
but i
latch onto
this poem
and every
other thing
i write
like it’s
my final
night
that will
deliver
a clean break
in
the morning.
Ken Kakareka is an American writer nominated twice for Best of the Net.
my wife
asks me
where
they come
from.
truth
be told,
i don’t
know.
they appear
like
mouse droppings
in
the garage.
or startle
you
like wind
on a
still night.
they attack
like wolves
at a
carcass.
when you’re
alone
and
nobody’s
home
they
sneak up
on you
like a shiver
down
your spine
and squirm:
jot down
every line!
Ken Kakareka is an American writer nominated twice for Best of the Net.
2 mexican
men
breaking
for lunch
from the
car wash
next door.
they carry
tall
sweaty
ice cold
beers
in 97
degree heat.
their smiles
are the smiles
of an
american’s
first time
in paris
or children
on christmas
morning.
for 1 hr.
they will
laugh
in the Face
of
an America
that has
us all
by
the balls.
they will
laugh
at whoever
promised
their
independence
upon arrival.
they will
laugh
at the
lost art
of a
mid-afternoon
buzz
in the
Face of
the Man.
they will
laugh
b/c
it’s all
you
can do
when you
realize
the irony
of it
all.
they are
not
breaking
for lunch
so much
as they
are breaking
for Freedom.
today,
a right-wing
political influencer
was shot
in the neck
and killed.
i am neither
glad
nor mad
but sad
at america’s
responses.
some
are outraged,
while others
rejoice.
most argue
and threaten
one another
online.
when it’s
an attack
on us
by foreigners
we unite.
when it’s
an attack
on us
by our own
we lash out
and make
things worse.
we are
toddlers
in this land
we call
the beacon
for everyone
else.
follow
our lead!
but how
can they
when we
lead
w/ a torch
whose light
is dim?
follow
our lead!
but how
can they
when we
lead
w/ a torch
that burns
in sin?