Happy Thoughts Vol 1:
How to Get Rich While Being Your Best Self
1
there is no poetry in America
only work
war
death
and the guys who got Capone
2
we mourn our lives unlived
our look in the mirror in the wake of age
we mourn ourselves as we see others succeed
each day, each greeting, each departure,
and most of all we mourn our dreams
fragile and unwrapped
3
get a grip
on what this is
know yourself
a sacrificial flame
on the altar of art
rising burning reaching
give everything
or get the fuck out
4
life is not good
we must confront it
and impart our knowledge
to others
with love
to protect our soul

Bill Kurz is a local writer living in Maryland. He writes at the crucible of North American and South American fiction. You can find more of his writing in Sound and Fury, Remington Review, and PLOS One.
Featured image: Shan Sheehan, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons