Maya Trest, Court of Vultures. Acrylic and Sharpie, 2023

 

By Aden Harris

 

A darkness looming over you, a cloud of great despair,

A suffocating, infuriating, toxic chunk of air.

An air so tight and focused you would like to stop your breath,

A time only to wait through until it’s your time for death.

 

Everything’s abandoned you, your body and your mind,

It feels like even God himself is leaving you behind.

You can love nothing anymore, your very heart was taken

When you woke up this morning and saw you had no more bacon.

 

If pigs don’t die, then there’s no life for you to care about,

Your vampiric ways will never let you live without

The sweet and crunchy goodness that comes from murdered pork.

All that you have left is sad bits of egg on your fork.

 

But even unborn chickens can’t relieve you of your pain

If you can never bite your teeth on strips of meat again.

The baby cow drink by your plate could never quench your thirst

If you do not get thirsty with some salty bacon first.

 

You don your clothes of wool, and your fleecy new fur coat,

You slide into leather shoes and wrap pearls around your throat.

You settle to eat toast with honey, as saddened as you are.

Then you grab your leather suitcase and head to your car.

 

On your way out, you notice your fish is upside down.

Another one that’s left you, you think beneath a frown.

Your cat has also not returned from her roam around the streets.

Perhaps she would have stayed if you had given her more treats.

 

You’re driving to your job when you notice you need gas.

You are running very low, so you start driving fast.

You see what’s about to happen but you’re much too fast to steer!

You already hit two squirrels today, and now you’ve hit a deer.

 

It didn’t do much damage, you sigh, filling your tank.

Now you can go work to get money for your bank.

It’s another rough day in your rough life, you reflect.

If only you had bacon, everything would be perfect.

 

It’s because you care too much, you decide when you’re there.

That’s the reason you always suffer and despair.

Inside you go to your job at the bacon factory.

Then you remember that each week employees get some free.

 

Then you are completely happy.