burn

by Keith Landrum

tired of the struggle
a fire burns
our hope and
we wear that smell
like designer
cologne

don't tell us
about tomorrow
when certainty kills
like a pack-a-day habit
in pawn shop
parking lots

don't tell us
there's salvation
for broken spirits
we drink
like cheap whiskey

don't tell us
to work harder
that there is a dream
to be fulfilled

don't say
a word
just let us go

let us rest
let us burn
like stars

I know

by Keith Landrum

I've wasted
most of my life
liver and lovers
with jobs like suicide
and drinking poison
from beer cans

and if I know
anything
it's that we all make
the same mistakes

and I know
I've done better
than expected
so no hard feelings

and I know
what god and the devil
both want

and I have a beer
in my hand
and another
in the fridge
to prove it