End of Romance

Matt Nagin

swarming, the grim precipice,
fiery forethought, bees without
wax, cliff, jailhouse, horizon
unfolded in gelatin x-ray dreams.

turning, mysterious telescope,
conquered alien beings, detectives
announcing the stench of tomorrow,
reptilian brains dissected for meat,
anguished politicians deeming the
barbed wire campaign a triumph.

swirling, mephitic sun, penumbra
over angel’s jilted wings—toddler in
the flophouse, curmudgeonly rhinos,
prey eating itself for breakfast.

thrashing, sacrosanct omnipop,
haute couture spirit, defeat
of lonesome empire, boundless
chasms, predator at the altar—
goodbye and goodluck my dear!

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Matt Nagin’s poetry has been published in Antigonish Review, Dash Literary Journal, The Charles Carter, Grain Magazine, and Arsenic Lobster. In 2018, his poem, ‘If We Are Doomed,’ won The Spirit First Editor’s Choice Award. His poetry collection, Butterflies Lost Within The Crooked Moonlight, has obtained very strong reviews.