art opening

instead of a gun

you use a camera

amputees

are your subject 

/these poor people/ you say

the walls of the gallery are dark

prints pinned neatly under spotlight

//life under deformity//

is the name of the show

you greet every visitor personally

wine in hand

/remember to donate/ you say

                                        you say

/oh let their pain mean something/

and the pain was picture perfect

and the turnout was just incredible

and on the steps outside everyone spoke of 

how grateful

              how grateful

how grateful 

            they are

that they don’t have to live 

like that

4am

there is only one 

tree that sways above this street                 

dew-jelly 

on dark leaves

streetlight ormolu and 

the attendant 

moths

                              birds sing

too early for any 

human to hear 

their songs

but there 

are other ears

Jack Giaour (he/him/his) is a queer kinky pisces who lives in an attic in Winthrop, Massachusettts. His manuscript hunting the bugs was published by Bateau Press in 2024, and his work has appeared or is forthcoming in Fork Apple Press’s The Juice blog, DrillPressPress, and Alien Buddha Zine, among other publications. 

“A dynamic black and white image of people in a modern museum setting.” by Bjorn Pierre under Pexels license.