Talkative Cough Drops
two poems by BENJAMIN NIESPODZIANY
Novel That Begins with a Snake
after Nate Logan’s “Poem that Ends with a Bird”
A new sorrow has been invented.
It arrived at exactly the right time.
A full forest, so easy on the eyes.
We bulldoze it just to feel something.
What would you have done?
Either way, things seem bleak.
Dream Sequence
All my toes reappeared.
The garage filled with gasoline.
Park rangers waited outside.
The sky held a tin foil hue.
What use is it to write down our dreams?
King Caesar with a big bowl of soup.
The news crew scooping up gossip.
The talk show combing through bones.
Benjamin Niespodziany is a Chicago-based writer whose work has appeared in Bennington Review, Fence, Conduit, Fairy Tale Review, Post Road, and elsewhere. His writing has been featured in the Wigleaf Top 50 and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Microfiction, and Best of the Net. Along with hosting the Neon Night Mic reading series, he also recently launched Pizama Press. You can find more at neonpajamas.com.