Wish I was always calm,
able to laugh at the glass
stuck in my foot,
wipe up the blood from the floor,
admire its color without any sense
of dread that one day it might end-
a good, swear-filled rant
is all I have some days,
while dentists push against sensitive gums,
politicians cut funds to hospitals,
believing people are healthier these days
or that they ought to be.
I just can’t smile, or thank imaginary gods
for the privilege of sore knees,
or a bladder made weaker by age;
my rage messy as a dropped cup
of coffee, held by hands
that were once so steady.
RICHARD LEDUE was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, but currently lives in Norway House, Manitoba with his wife and son. His poems have appeared in various publications throughout 2019, and more work is forthcoming throughout 2020, including a chapbook from Kelsey Books.
COREY NYHUS is a narrative artist currently living and drawing in New York. An avid lover of
fantasy and occult horror, his work is full of stark inks, eldritch dreamscapes and sympathetic monsters. Corey is currently earning his MFA in illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. His forthcoming dark fantasy comic, Bloombreather, is slated for release in the spring of 2020. His work can be seen on Instagram @coma.nydus and on his website at coreynyhus.com.