trivial pursuit

— a poem by chase klavon

“Some kinds of failure are better than other kinds, that’s all.” - George Orwell, 1984

floundering flashbacks flutter

flit until they fly

wrapped in the scent of worry 

cocooned in the aroma of bargain shampoo

imagine it imagine head submerged in 

closed in ears under

water under surface drowning purposefully deluged to 

drown out the battering the knocking the ‘calm downs’

shattering the woozy wobbles the stumbles staggering into my sanctuary

too much of this was a side effect of too much of that

knee deep in linoleum 

cottonmouth carpeted with sticky stutters

cold skin cold eyes cold rolled back purple you

me on the floor you me heading for the door 

unkempt ringlets suspend limply sticky on the ears 

cheeks stained satin cheeks fired porcelain 

head in hand with cool lips and shrivel skin 

evidence of you doing too much with too little