...in 1972 by Dan Provost
trigger warning: ideations of suicide

Before a Day in a Life became
some glorious existential statement.
My 10-year-old heart would hurt
when the Beatles sang about a guy
who blew his mind out in a car.
Stirred my first concentrated
thoughts about pain.
And a concrete plan
to leave life
On my own terms.
Quick flip to living almost
59 years…
I’ve seen, read, and heard
sadness from the “ahem” best.
Outcries from self-involved
crooners...So-Called master wordsmiths,
rambunctious speakers who silence small
crowds with boast of self-destruction.
I don’t know though.
Lennon’s words still consume me
with dankness.
Keeps the void’s pulse pounding…
Like it did to that fat kid who
began to understand what it is
To be alone, surrounded by
humanity’s den of thieves.
Dan Provost’s poetry has been published throughout the small press for a number of years. He is the author of thirteen books/chapbooks, including in 2021: The Green Room, released byAnalog Submission Press and December 22, 2020, published by Alien Buddha Press.He is a two-time nominee for the Best of the Web and has read his works across the United States. He lives in Berlin, New Hampshire with his wife Laura and dog Bella.