...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.

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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.