What Rough Beast | Poem for July 12, 2017

Billy Malanga
Question Everything

Question everything.
People typically overstate themselves.
Question authority, it seeks the yes man.
Lean in.
To hell with zones!
Go outside of them, run towards twilight.
There’s brilliance there.
All sophisticated opinions strip down to suicide.
Stand boldly on the ground; it’s a good fight.
Question trust.
Question research.
Question freedom.
Question strangers.
Question religion.
Your demons will chase you into the gutter.
Wash their nasty faces with a scum rag
soaked in whiskey. They don’t like things
that smell and burn.
You can’t make it through the program
by avoiding the bastards.
Question your family.
There will come a day
when your questions are
no longer understood.

 

Billy Malanga’s recent poetry has been published or is forthcoming in The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, The Creativity Webzine, The Write Launch, Picaroon Poetry, and other journals. Billy is a first generation college graduate, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and the grandson of Italian immigrants. He currently lives in Urbana, Illinois and is relocating to Auburn, Alabama in August 2017.

SUBMIT to What Rough Beast via our SUBMITTABLE site.

If you want to support the mission and work of Indolent Books, consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Indolent Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity.

Join our mailing list to receive news, updates, and special offers from Indolent Books.