No Rest For The Wicked

No Rest For The Wicked

written by: David Lohrey

It is not only work that is part of the punishment.
It is not only work
It is not only work
It is not only work that is part of the punishment.

I am dying for a cup of coffee but I only have instant.
I’d get me a Pepsi, but we’ve only got diet.
I’m hungry for my mama’s spaghetti; I’m hungry for something.
She says the recipes cannot be found in a cookbook.

What gives country singers their radiant smiles?

It is not only work that is part of the punishment.
It is not only work

He was brain dead for weeks but his heart wouldn’t stop beating.
I just wanted to speak to my father this one last time.
Mama made me hang up whenever I called him.
“He’s too tired to talk to anybody right now.”

Why do people cry when they listen to music?
It is not only work
No, it is not; work is not the only part of the punishment.
It is not.

I’ve put 3 calls into “We Care” but nobody answers.
Why won’t they pick up at the suicide hotline?

I know why people cry when they listen to music.

Father was brain dead for weeks but his heart wouldn’t stop beating.
I rushed in but he had died before I could reach him.
Mother kept asking questions but didn’t like my answers.
She thought I was a burglar and screamed for the day nurse.
She repeated over and over, “He doesn’t need you.”

What do the dramas on television teach us?
It is not only work that is part of the punishment.
Not even the most important part of the punishment.
No. No. No.

His funeral was cancelled because the ground was still frozen.
I asked for a priest from the archbishop’s office.
She wanted singers and dancers with pompoms and sparklers.
She insisted on being the star of the spectacle.
“You’re not needed here. Why don’t you go?”

He was cremated and placed in an urn from the mortuary.

It is not only work that is part of the punishment.
No, it is not.
No. No. Believe me. Believe me.
It is not. It’s not. It’s not. No, it’s not.

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David Lohrey

David Lohrey’s plays have been produced in Switzerland, Canada, and Lithuania. His poems can be found at The Dead Mule School, Expat Press, Terror House, and New Orleans Review, along with the University of Alabama, Illinois State, and Michigan State University. His fiction appears in Storgy Magazine, Terror House Magazine, and Literally Stories. David’s first collection of poetry, Machiavelli’s Backyard, was published in 2017. His newest collection, Bluff City, appeared this month, published by Terror House Press.

Latest posts by David Lohrey (see all)

• Honeysuckle Tribute - February 10, 2023
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