Kel Norman

Issue Two

ARE YOU BORED YET?

Acidic dreams rot my brain.

The curves of the road

twisting as I spiral down with it.

We disturb a herd of deer that were

bedded down in the backyard

of a lonely woman. You compared her

to an old snow white.

I suppose i should feel something

the peacefulness that hangs in the air

or maybe the regret that lingers in the future.

This is merely a distraction from flesh and blood

morphing into something unrecognizable.

I can’t be the monster you always asked me to be.

I rather vanish into the darkness

let the walls of my rib cage

cave in upon my aching lungs

than forgive you for what you called love.

YOU WERE A MESS

Dread is a funny feeling

the way it sits in

the back of your throat

not quite choking you.

It echoes in your chest

as if your heart is pleading

for help pure desperation.

I can feel it creeping up

my spine again.

Unopened mail scatters the counter;

The bottle of wine you were saving

for a special occasion collects dust.

This was unexpected.

All the plans you made

washed away with your blood.

You did it.

You finally did something right.

HELL IS SCORCHING

What’s the reason you were so

captivated that you had to get in?

A sly, wicked grin asking

for more than a friend.

Promising that this feeling

won’t ever end.

Siphoning your self worth

from other people’s brokenness

with a charming tongue.

You’re the center of the earth

in the sense that you’re so fucking dense

and no human can survive being

within ten feet of you.

You’re the kind of person only a father could love.

I mean only your father could love.

Tell me to forget your essence or

release what is left of your soul.

I’ll ask what was your name again?

And that is my only sin.

About Kel Norman
Kel Norman is a twenty seven year old veteran of the United States Army. He graduated from Thomas University in 2020 and is seeking an MFA in poetry at Western Colorado University.