Fred Aiken Writing

Tag: Poetry

May 26, 2024

ghost joke

the ghosts asks me when i go to the cemetery
where i’ve been,
and i like to tell them my joke,
it’s a dumb joke,

but i like to tell ghosts that i haven’t visited
in a while because i’ve been out living…
the ghosts never laugh,
even though i find it funny as hell,
granted, it’s best not to mention hell or heaven 
to a ghost still roaming around
in a cemetery,

i’m not saying i know all the rules when it comes to 
what happens to a person when they die,
but i get the impression from some of the ghosts i’ve met
that there are certain tiers
in the afterlife,
and some of those tiers aren’t all that definitive,
if you catch my drift,

though if i’m being perfectly honest with the ghosts
when they ask me why i haven’t been to the cemetery to visit,
then i’d have to say it’s because i’m just not all that interested
in joining them
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May 25, 2024

cat in front of the computer

my cat sits in front of the computer screen
as i write down this poem,
she licks her paw,
then scratches her head,
then chews on her nails because my wife just clipped them
and my cat’s natural instinct is to make them sharp again,
but she’s not paying attention to what i’m writing,
she doesn’t even know it’s about her
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May 24, 2024

just go to bed

this might just be my perception,
but i feel like i’m a better poet when 
i’m sleep deprived

perhaps it’s the lack of self-editing i do,
perhaps it’s because it feels like a barbell is pushing into my chest
and i need to write this last thought, last sentence, last stanza
before i go to sleep,
whenever that will be,

i like to treat sleep like a treat
that i can only do when i’ve written so many words,
and in such a way that they’re semi-coherent,

this poem might not be all that great,
but at least finishing it finally means i can go to bed
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