The Way I Start Everyday

Empty my head of the night 
mare horses so only hoof prints 
remain. Brush my teeth with Vaseline 
to ensure that beauty queen smile. 
Sprinkle gun powder on my oatmeal 
and stir it with a stick of dynamite. 
Wash it down with a mug of gasoline. 
Leave the house without a hat. Hotwire 
the car with an old screwdriver and 
back out without so much as a glance 
in the rear-view mirror. Shift into neutral 
as soon as I merge on the highway 
and mash the accelerator to the floor. 

PATRICK MEEDS

Patrick Meeds lives in Syracuse, New York and he studies writing at the Syracuse YMCA’s Downtown Writers Center. He has been previously published in Stone Canoe, the New Ohio Review, Tupelo Quarterly, Atticus Review, Whiskey Island, Guernica, The Main Street Rag, and Nine Mile Review, among other places.