“King Yertle” by Mickey J. Corrigan

You are a man of your words
but your words are all lies.

Your queen is an import
but the rest go in cages,
you paw them freely
through iron bars.

You sit on your high throne
let them all kiss your ass
while you elevate and levitate
only you touch the stars.

You heap praise on the haters,
the money hoarders
the gilted, the fucked
walling up the kingdom
with baby teeth and blood.

Hark! A soft wind whistles
through the wet cornfields
the prairies, blue rivers, low hills.
May it blow you down
and polish your dry bones.


Originally from Boston, Mickey J. Corrigan writes Florida noir with a dark humor. Project XX, a satirical novel about a school shooting, was released in 2017 by Salt Publishing in the UK. Newest release is What I Did for Love, a spoof of Lolita (Bloodhound Books, October 2019). Visit at www.mickeyjcorrigan.com.

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