Felix Deng
Contributor Biography
Felix Deng isn’t actually a poet; that is why he has neither a proper biography nor a long list of publications and achievements to his name. But he does, in his free time, write what he considers to be poetry. Through this medium, he hopes to share with others tiny fragments of the way he views the world. Felix is proud to be part of the writing collective ZeroSleep.
journeyman
his fingers, once nimble and quick, now
suffer from an old injury; knife and fork
tremble ever so slightly in his grip. the table
is set to the nines; wood creaking with
the weight of the harvest. his companions fall
upon the feast, and soon there is chatter
echoing all around him. he grasps
at the threads of conversation
that they send his way—but too much
hard labour has dulled his wit; solitude
has robbed him of his tongue. they sense so, and
they are kind—but then, kindness is pity
and his pride does not stand for it. instead
he turns inward, taking comfort in a familiar
numbness radiating from his arm—the first signs
of having taken to the drink now worn
like a badge of honour; at once a remnant
of old folly and distant youth. strange,
that he would leave the feast
hungrier than before it began
elegy to the living
do not set aside flowers for the dead
nor well wishes for those going away—
the living have a greater need than they
could ever claim to have. for it is said:
the dead do not suffer in the absence
of the living. they have no hearts to grow
fonder with time; they have no flesh to know
the loneliness of empty beds.
silence
remains the last bastion we cling on to—
as if through our spoken words, the spectres
they leave behind would somehow be unmade.
sorrow stands vigil and in doing so
imparts clarity: the dead die but once
the living die a hundred times over
Kemlyn Tan Bappe
Contributor Biography
Kemlyn Tan Bappe, a native of Singapore, is an artist, writer and a special education teacher living in Phoenix, Arizona. “This project hits hard. I still search for words.” She holds a BA in Studio Art, MDIV Theology, and a MA in Special Education.
tonight
(recounting 7:42 pm, october 26, 2019, peoria, arizona)
tonight i am victim a statistic
walmart lot teen snatches my purse husband yells
he reaches for my bag kid shoves him away
he falls to the ground behind the speeding car
i chase i stare his face under baseball cap
black sweater grey shirt black grey shoes black sweat pants
so young could have been one of my high school kids
light blue car witness says nissan? c-e-v
no one sees rest of license plate car speeds off
peels away heads east on peoria cameras?
witnesses family of three stays with us
husband calls 9-1-1 officers arrive
patrol cars four five six crime scene interview
witnesses checking cameras just state the facts
sorry faulty cameras blur license plate
can't recall my apple id find my phone
fails battery low lost last chances find thieves
rage boiling bile burning i can’t swallow this
home invasion three totaled cars now we’re robbed
i hate this place i wish we were somewhere else
iowa singapore any place but here
it's not fair i know crime happens everywhere
just for a moment let’s vanish disappear
oh my god my son is at home what if they
officer calls glendale pd we call him
no answer police knocks on door no answer
they report he has headphones on in his room
he is safe we need to hurry back to him
no way home both sets of keys were in the purse
officer gets permission to transport us
back to home we use lockbox key to get in
locate the apple id for officer
i receive victim's rights brochure case report
number call number call numbers call numbers
to the banks cancel credit cards debit cards
tow both cars one from parking lot other home
find locksmith to rekey eight locks we can't wait
secure home secure our assets it's too late
they have charged eight dollars at a circle k
husband hurts honey stop calling you're in pain
call a lyft to emergency room hurry
he's alone i stay home distressed to secure
borrowing son's phone to make calls to contact
tow truck comes same time as locksmith neighbors watch
talented tow truck driver moves car sans key
deliver to car dealership on monday
my locksmith adeptly rekeys our eight locks
hubby calls no broken bones but bad bruising
shots and pills prescribed and taken they stole meds
epi-pen asthma inhaler must replace
glad i used my dutch rewards card this week
doorbell rings my heart jumps i check my hubby
he is home safe and secure i take deep breaths
paw paw cream ice packs ibuprofen eyes close
he now sleeps i wide awake paralysis
action steps message family overseas
i have to write to process to get unstuck
we survive a strong armed robbery tonight