the cruelest trick

by J.J. Campbell

it was the kind of beauty
that made grown men
question their lives

it was the kind of beauty
that young boys only saw
in the dirty magazines they
stole from underneath their
older brother's bed

no one could quite
understand why that
beauty was interested
in me

honestly, neither could i

and since i'm one of these
analytical fools, i just
had to know

that eventually drove
beauty away

you have kids and a
happy marriage now i
guess

i'm still here, stuck in
neutral

wondering if this is my
destiny

or worse,

wondering if the cruelest
trick has already been played
and destiny moved on without
me