issue 12 FEATURE: D.A. POWELL

THE LAST GASP OF MY EARTHQUAKE LIFE

Slow down, death, and take me slow and beautiful as no one has
taken me before not anyone not you God what takes you in with his round
gulp. I am my stubborn self, now who fears me? Not you, death,

with you let me in I can’t, not tonight, but soon, you can have your way
whatever that means to you all up and down or side to side with a tootsie roll
cum on me death when thou must and make me lick it. And make me like

you, death, like finger-banging in the backside once you got the rhythm,
once you got the rhythm it’s nice. This is coming out live.  
And we could take the low ride, baby, take the low ride out tonight.

D.A. Powell's most recent collection is Repast (Graywolf, 2014). He lives in California.