EVERYTHING WE WERE TAUGHT WAS A LIE

The last lonely crumb of my soul 

The wrong set of pajamas 

The record for most rushing yards in a single season

The king of doo-wop 

The figure 8 

The entertainers arriving early 

The long path strewn with calendulas 

The way your mother looked on her wedding day

The big things happening in outer space 

The homemade pancakes 

The fucker tried to run me over with his car

The autumnal equinox 

The purest hash you can get in America 

The green trailer full of horses

LITANY OR PSALM OR SOMETHING 

Congratulations I will drink wine for you 

Terribly sorry I will drink wine for you 

Amen I will drink wine for you 

Sweet dreams I will drink wine for you 

Received your letter I will drink wine for you

Good riddance I will drink wine for you 

My best to your mum I will drink wine for you 

Now and at the hour of our deaths I will drink wine for you

That’s so fucking rad I will drink wine for you  

Bird by bird I will drink wine for you 

In the common pursuit I will drink wine for you

James Kelly Quigley is a poet and painter. His chapbooks include Beautiful Hands (Press Break, 2025) and Aloneness (Umpteen Triangles, 2023). Recent writing has appeared in Bennington Review, Electric Literature, Poetry Wales, and The Southern Review. His paintings can be found online and on the street.