New Mural with Wittenberg University Students - Thomas Library, Director Amanda McLellan

 

Class Demo - Painting 2

 

Swallow Hard

When your ex-girlfriend 

jumps in front of a semi-truck

because she just can’t take 

one more fucking thing

When your lungs fill with fluid

Slowly over time

50 years to be exact

One cigarette after another 

When your legs stop working

after your husband dies

and you have forgotten 

everyone’s name that you love

When you make sure

no one is following you home

from the grocery store

because they guessed the wrong gender

When you are afraid to ask

someone’s citizen status

because we don’t know 

who is listening anymore 

When you call your cousin

who lives in Southern California 

to make sure their house

hasn’t burned down to the ground

When you are the only one in the store

that the owner is following around

calling you buddy

but what they really mean is black

When your left arm goes numb

Neck muscles pinching your last nerve 

Knots from the ropes

holding the world upon your shoulders 

Swallow hard

Wink 2024

 

The First Stone

 

Mural Shenanigans. Wittenberg University.

 

FURY

In this unnatural world

we are the only species

that perpetuates animosity

Survival may be for the fittest

but animals do not plot revenge

hold generational grudges

punish and torture

starve and exterminate

deceive and manipulate

poisoning

the

future

 

One could argue

of all the life

that walks this planet

we are the least civilized

of lesser intelligence

Surely depleted

of kindness and mercy

Any hungered frenzy

those called beasts

could possibly muster

is swallowed whole

by the fury we pass on

to

our

children