hell on earth



they’re punting designer babies into the sea

in the hopes of stopping algae blooms

sort of a human sacrifice type moment

read in the soy entrails of a vegan katsu

other attempts to avert apocalypse:

skincare products / gay christmas

/ ritualistic pomegranate deseeding

they held fundraisers for the end-times

under the bombed-out mosques

nobody knew where the money went

but we paid them anyway, those endless

rows of men, like teeth

saddling the aimless roads

i was taught: the more money you make

the less you’ll have to give up

we were taught: the more money you spend

the less they’ll take from us

i craned my neck to see the babies

and it hurt right down to my hip

once, at dawn, i stood shoulder to shoulder

with dew-faced girlboys

as they kissed their heads and let them drop

they were told: don’t hesitate!

it will only make it worse, and of course

they were crying, the sea in miniature

come to claim its own —

their family covered their faces

and turned away. the ocean moved.