Second Coming No. 52 — March 12, 2025

A poem-a-day protest against the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House

Susana H. Case
Thief

At M’s place, we three ended up naked on coke,
she fellating him on her living room
floor. Not interested in right-wing people
that way—though back then it was still
possible to have some as casual friends—I grabbed
my camera, knowing he aspired to political
office and shouldn’t even be a janitor
who cleaned one. Great idea—blackmail!
It doesn’t matter anymore. He never was

a candidate, is dead now, from too much booze
and drugs. She cleaned up, became a Democrat
when her money ran low. I still have
those photos somewhere. Can you steal a soul

by taking photos, every reflection an outward
projection? The photographer James W. Bailey,
with his burnt, torn, and scratched scars
on his images, thought so, didn’t want souls
wandering about, angry at him, didn’t want
to steal souls even from the dead, a question
of morality. Ah morality—sex scandals no longer
keep anyone out of politics. But I’ve been a thief,

and somewhere in a closet I have souls in a box.

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Susana H. Case is the author of nine books of poetry, most recently If This Isn’t Love (Broadstone Books, 2023), and co-editor with Margo Taft Stever of I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe (Milk & Cake Press, 2022), an Honorable Mention for the Eric Hoffer Book Award, as well as a Finalist for the American Book Fest Awards and the International Book Awards. Her first of five chapbooks, The Scottish Café (Slapering Hol Press, 2002), was released in an English-Polish edition as Kawiarnia Szkocka (Opole University Press, 2010) and in an English-Ukrainian edition as Шотландська Кав’ярня (Slapering Hol Press, 2024)

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Indolent Books and editor Michael Broder are back with another poem-a-day series as a creative response to the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House. The plan is to continue for all 1460 days of the 47th American presidency.

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Find out how to submit poems or flash prose pieces to Second Coming.

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