Poetry By B. Allegrini

David Antis CC




6:45 AM EASTERN STANDARD

there aren’t many days
longer 
than the first day you decide 
to quit 

or at least
the first day you decide
to try 
to quit

the brain will 
fire and fire and fire 
when you deprive it 
of anything 
it has gotten 
used to 

if there are days longer
than this day 
i don’t want to know 
them 

because a day longer than this
will make me reach 
for what i know 
and what i know 
is not worth reaching for 

there aren't many days 
longer 
than the first day you decide
to quit

unless 
of course
i wake up tomorrow 
to find out 
the longest day 

has begun again 






brothers

there are five of us
all boys
our mother loves us 
forever
more than i’ve loved anything 
for even a moment

if she were everyone’s mother
the world would be lighter
she could make it 
float 

so i guess our old man
gave us the hole 
inside our chest 
that we all seem to have

or as i grow 
alongside that hole 
i realize 
perhaps his old man 
gave it to him 

nonetheless 
it’s there 
gaping

two of us
filled that hole 
with booze and pills 

two of us 
filled that hole
with 80 hour work weeks
and top shelf things 

one of us 
writes this poem 
and thinks 

“maybe i won’t get high tonight” 

“what if everyone has this hole?”

“but then why do they seem okay?”

“they’re not okay”

“well, they seem okay”

“you seem okay” 

“hahahahahahahha”

*spark*

​


B. Allegrini lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his partner and their two dogs. His work can be found primarily in the fireplaces of old lovers and random scrap paper used for bookmarks. B. enjoys slow mornings, thinking too much, unfinished projects, and all things outdoors. 


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