The Poetry Project

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JUDGEMENT DAY

after Terminator 2

Time travel 101 does not account for simultaneous timelines—
the past that we return to—now our future.
So when I kill my parents, or the president,
I never dematerialize. I just stay stuck
in 1964, where no one understands
my alt-life haircut. That is to say,
in her maternal fury, Sarah Connor sought to kill
the man who gave birth to Skynet.
But Skynet would have still been born—
this time by a white man in a hoodie,
home birth in open office, under the banner of disruption.
What I mean is, kid,
you never had to melt your robot dad to save humanity.
Humanity refuses to be saved.
Might as well keep all of your loved ones close.

NOVOGODNAYA

i follow directions obediently to find The Club 4000 miles away,
victorious with maps: xxxxxxx S texts, WE ARE HERE xxxx & i am here as well!

someone will sing & later we will dance
someone will sing & later we will danceso that our bodies start to trust each other
so later we might talk. & the molecular of walls
so later we might talk. & the molecular of wallssoft crumbles thru connection—

the cold country grows warmer through our touch alone.
the cold country grows warmer through our touch alone.i plant a psychic flag &
google says i parked here. x yes o yes ;)
google says i parked here.xx yes o yes ;)parked next to shaved head DJ on the roof !

they said, “i like music + bicycle.” xxx i said, i LOVE music + bicycle!
came on too strong? x my heart grew 10HP!

xxxxxxx stats fall like static / rainfall synthesized / wet when it hits the skin
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx in imprint of eternal present

xxxxxxx yr profile said that you were 5’6”. xxxxxi’m aspirational as well.

Google—translate ‘switch.’ trans: ‘top;’ trans—all i get are cardinal directions :(
the rooftop faces west. the river south. the banner drop says “Stonewall Was
A Riot!”

Issue 17

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