a.w. strouse
"Isaac after the sacrifice"
they couldn’t tell themselves
what they had done
from that they had done,
they couldn’t tell”
a girl somewhere says
“I too have a face
and dreams
and I feel feelings
with it and with
my body also
I am in relationships
that are
in my opinion interesting
and pertinent
I will be
a movie star.”
IN THE SECOND CIRCLE a man
and his dead wife brought back
to life by hologram.
at the THIRD station I transfer to the uptown express,
with her Eichmann perfume breath.
in circle FOUR it’s SIX FLAGS Great Adventure.
If you’ve never been to a theme park
then you will know
that tyranny has
its appeal:
those unhappy kids
ruining their vacations.”
V.
“Gregory Peck is the greatest
American father that’s why the kids
call him Atticus.”
I.
“Thou art a scholar, speak to it.”
“I recorded it in
Windows but can I
open it on Quicktime?”
II.
“The kids need to learn
PC but she says
get them a MAC but I’ll be damned
I’m raising no
MAC sissy boy for a son I lost
the circumcision debate the day
he was born it’s the
least she can do.”
III.
Robbing Twitter to Pay Pal,
like the instrument with no home
they call me that
but they call
everybody that the
same name
that pays the Bills
that makes me laugh and says
Happy Birthday
IV.
“Dad is dead and mom is mad
I am descending into hell again—
on the FIRST STEP there are the bankers who ruined
the fun for everyone
I am pregnant
with cold
As of 2014: A.W. Strouse studies medieval literature in the English doctoral program at the CUNY Graduate Center, and he teaches at Hunter College. His book Retractions and Revelations is available from Jerk Poet (jerkpoet.com). He also co-curates the Ferro Strouse Gallery.
Find A.W. today: website