by E.E. King
tragedia-tragedia
tonight’s silent rave of a
double-parked ambulance—
generally punctually late
to catch more than just
the echos of upshots by
shells of candles or barrels—
it strobed kaleidoscopes on a
dark and destitute wall, through
the space where my curtains,
growing older together, and
growing old of together, had
refused to kiss and embrace
anymore, weary of having been
forced to drape in each other’s
lonesome company for years,
like estranged pubescents of
contrasting non-conformities,
tethered to the same bus route
i slept even less on these nights,
equal parts a monk and spy,
resigned to helpless prayer for
more candles set off at night, and
fewer lit for mourning shrines,
while curious still, like a gadfly
drawn to a technicolor panel,
beholding a scena’s coda,
at shrouded panes length,
better kept in noir at post
Brian J. Alvarado is a Puerto-Haitian Bronxite writer and occasional opera singer. His work is featured and/or forthcoming in Thimble Literary Magazine, Trouvaille Review, Cajun Mutt Press, and Squawk Back, among others. He holds a BA in Creative Writing from Susquehanna University. https://brianalvarado.com/writing
E.E. King is an award-winning painter, performer, writer, and naturalist – She’ll do anything that won’t pay the bills, especially if it involves animals. Her art has been internationally collected and she’s shown at LACMA. Ray Bradbury called her stories, “marvelously inventive, wildly funny and deeply thought-provoking. I cannot recommend them highly enough.” She’s been published widely, including Clarkesworld. Her stories are on Tangent’s 2019 and 2020 year’s best stories. She has been nominated for five Pushcart awards. Check out paintings, writing, musings, and books at: www.elizabetheveking.com and amazon.com/author/eeking