the sky is an explosion
by Softserve
the sky is an explosion of blue atoms that were
hurled out during the boom and
cemented there like a
wet bloom to infinity, and nobody knows it but they droop
down, like saggy …

flight of the blue balloon
by softserve
I released my balloon into the air–the colour of the
sky–when you looked it square in
the eye, your pupils reflected shiny and black off
off its smooth latex surface–it soared, my balloon, sliced the sky, …

if i was a robot
by softserve
If I was a robot     I’d self-destruct     everyday
before breakfast     and after lunch     I’d reconstruct myself
and I’d whisper to myself     at the table     several
times in a row     the word love over …

chuck the haunted and chuck the stupid cat
by softserve
Chuck used to lie in the basement all night
and lick the thunder clean.  His cat was also named Chuck.
I couldn’t lumber to the bathroom from the couch …

Death of a Chiefs Fan
by softserve
Bam! Blood vessel pops like
gunshot, leaves me
lifeless
in this alley and Sarah and
Alisha–on break–find me in
jeans
and jersey, lying warm but
lifeless among sparrow-chirps in
cool morning light. Fading to
blue sky, I watch the …

PB&J
by softserve
A plump
mouse with a
bristly
orange hair-
do
spreads
from one
side of pot-
ato bread
to ano-
ther, thick
green peanut
butter.

Naked
by softserve
When I was a child I often quietly
worried that everyone was an alien
and I was the only real person on earth.
My family, my friends
And each casual acquaintance
Was an alien in disguise.
I never let my …

Spiders
By Softserve
my wife rolls over
and tells me
to go to sleep.
i’m afraid to.
if i allow my body
to let go,
i might not be able to
bring it back.
she says i worry too much,
but i don’t want any spiders
to …

Turtle Pie
by Softserve
I tried to eat a man
whose face I thought looked
like a pastrami rheuben sandwich.
He led me to the Sahara
where we crushed tiny people
with medium-sized rocks.
I realized his hat wasn’t a sandwich.
Then I remembered …

the war
by softserve
On top of the bar, a demon scarecrow battles an axe-wielding mutant toad. As this mook is giving me her order, I look over at the cook as if to say, “smash them …