May 2025 – Page 3

Everything Is Tuberculosis (And Other Things I Fear, Too, But Call Me, John)

A totally nonscientific, fear-based trip through tuberculosis, as taken by one anxious, poem-hoarding Word Raccoon. NOT LISTENING TO:This playlist John Green posted once: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1E4EHcWZKczEPM?si=KrVm99kNQwCXfakPA6EFFw ALSO NOT LISTENING TO: The Mountain Goats – Sunset Tree Now Playing: Toys in the Attic, Aerosmith. (For now. Nope, can’t land on anything today. Oh well…) I tried setting theContinue reading “Everything Is Tuberculosis (And Other Things I Fear, Too, But Call Me, John)”

CLEAR BAG POLICY IN EFFECT

Here. Try this. It’ll hurt a little, but god, it’ll taste like something you almost remember. Busking from the Busted Poetry Machine Bunker —”Over It” Edition: Cold, Whatever Now Playing:“Let’s Tattoo the Moon” – from the unreleased Post-Apocalyptic Seance Mixtape by DJ Word Raccoon Even if he lands, we’ll just bleed together/ maybe we canContinue reading “CLEAR BAG POLICY IN EFFECT”

My Cathedral’s Ready—Want to See the Stained Glass?

So yeah, I had a blog post all ready yesterday (okay, mostly ready). Fine. I was working on it. And then I checked my inbox.NBD, just a chapbook competition closing—LAST NIGHT. I know how premature this might sound, entering a contest mid-fever dream and new to poetry, but this cold has had me underground withContinue reading “My Cathedral’s Ready—Want to See the Stained Glass?”

Now Playing: Nevermind in a Jagged Venus Fly Trap

(A prose poem) Riddle me this, bat kids, my muse is drinking vintage 90’s music and I just finished writing a poem with the word “Nevermind.” What music am I listening to? This morning, it was “Try a Little Tenderness,” but if you’re gonna let the muse twist the dials you’d better be prepared forContinue reading “Now Playing: Nevermind in a Jagged Venus Fly Trap”

It doesn’t have to be pretty, Precious, if it sings

I know it’s April, not October, Herbert, but if I want to give jagged lipstick vibes on my own damn blog, I will! (What — it’s May? Damn.) The last years we lived in the Nashville area, we lived in Willamson County. There’s this cool town there called Leiper’s Fork. We DID NOT have Leiper’sContinue reading “It doesn’t have to be pretty, Precious, if it sings”

Authorial Consent (Well, Someone Hit Send)

Caption: (I didn’t say how many centuries ago I built it.) I think I’m almost over this inconvenient little cold that hijacked my week. I always get the crankiest right before I get better, and right now? I’m irritable. So here I am—me and Billy Joel again—trying to outwrite it. Unexpected upside of this quarantine-of-one?Continue reading “Authorial Consent (Well, Someone Hit Send)”

Trying Survival Food: in a bunker with a pen and a beat-up radio

When you happen upon a fortune cookie slip in your pants pocket that says “On Thursday, your creativity will soar to new heights” and it’s Wednesday evening, you sprint to your computer to be sure you have something to gnaw on tomorrow. A few good words, you know, an idea, maybe a story you’re stuckContinue reading “Trying Survival Food: in a bunker with a pen and a beat-up radio”