Addict Syringe
Joseph F. Keppler
what will happen
happened
more and more
then what what then
less love and less truth
more or less
it wails
it barks
it bangs
its head purple
against against against
it eats and drinks
it pees and poops
it throws itself
down hard
harder harder
this handsome
bruising bruised
never innocent
innocent toddler
asleep now
somehow
love you
fuck you
make me
rape me
bazaar
washroom
machine
military
gender
slipper
identify
categorize
describe
interpret
infer
alone apart
self
portrait
ending fated
self
run film
photograph
self
fixed star
close up
sound fitted
face market look nice
froth wormy fluff
byte buy sell
search engine cite
short newscast
break in talking
head in
english
ad how good
diction how bad
with
within
without
who
only
one
are good
all three
with
within
without
god
alone
all good one
with how
bad how good
dog cat fish cow
have no children
were no children
stupid divinity
creating stupid me
divine stupidity
right and just
on earthy earth
not in
orbit orbit
around
it not
blasting blasting
off it
not strapped
jetting jetting
across it
are skies
earth skies
addict
baby
for rent
for sale
for give
for what
is is
baby
is a is
one a word
reloading word
syllable afflicted homeless
lifting up ungloved holding
a baby
being one upheld
electric thing
poetic nothing
wants want
the car
for wants
and wants
get it
there
what a fool
what a mother
what a creep
what a city
what a herd
if you
do want
to you
do have
to want
to want
to be
other
play man play
woman play
object
play subject play
other play
another
play our clay ourself
help
for no
helps help
no help
helps
help
no help
helps
go please
please go
go now
just go
go on go
go to hell
go
damn it go
arthritis
arithmetic
one rigid
two something
three many
multiply
numbered
belief in
mathematics call
on certainty
uncertainty
counting up down to
counting clocks calendars roses
four forty five
nineteen sixty three
ten thousand billion
counting on
counting meaning
again
how
why
why
how
never
again
again
never
again
again
get
use
rob
pawn
buy
abuse
steal
sell
get
use
pimp
trick
buy
abuse
get
use
time
resolve
involve
revolve
space
revolve
involve
resolve
time
when
where
what
ended time
edged space
dead time
dead space
lived in
saturated with
time aging place spacing
looked at
looking at
taller paler tanned
pulls a fresh-squeezed orange juice
from
a 100-foot-long refrigerated case
a moment
looking at looked at
rope swings
moods swing
swings hang
mood through
angry sad
quiet bad
autumn spring
reverberating
berating
reverberating reverberating
berating berating berating
reverberating reverberating
sorry so sorry
berating berating berating
so know now
adam
or no know
so no adam
know no
moan to
wake
to moan
good money
good school
good people good
leading good world
good for all
all for good
good afternoon
genetically good
good nature
good making good
nominate tolerate champion
champion institute aggravate
aggravate suffering advocate
advocate invalid supplicant
supplicant tolerant nominee
a radio
piano
pianos
key by key be key for key
to get together
a wild
while
born
mortal
aborted
mortal
women and children not today
not here anyway
men and children not today
not here anyway
women and men vote today
here anyway
not children not today
not here anyway
whatever
having is not doing is making
a good living good
forever
child
heroin
child
be quiet
child
shut the fuck up
stop
screaming
child
stop
fucking thrashing
child
go to sleep
child
heroin
stop
stop stop
heroin
child
rocket
honey
rodent
mental
rental
agnostic
diagnostic
medical
chemical
history
mystery
scientific us this day
our drowsy eye
accept
us
our nook
and storied manipulation
as we regret our hurting
them leave us bored
adoring temptation
and save
us
from evil
amen
heroin heroin full with promise
the tiny score is with you
happy are you among women and men
and happy inflating the willing sick
sore with proud wound
praying your stick
your appointed wand
anesthetizes
amen
love
undress
love
begin
love
forever
love
loving
back
am
who
am
hangs who is
not had by
being
had
a body
being inhabited
being
by being
a body
and
a being
being inhabited
body
by being
a being
be
dead body
heavy corpse
mystery cadaver
abandoned
inanimate body
uninhabited remains
death then
when being a being
through with in away from dead
body biography autobiography
being being
sole
soul
excluded isolated
are
one
one
every number
divisible
multipliable
one
even none
ever infinities
one
am
one
too
lost
too
you too
yucky clean
smilie mean
tentacle
shopping cart
abandoned
puffed backpack empty
intense tent
smoking
working professional rush
hour crowd ready editing
already protesting all ready
riding strutting scrolling
real victory over real time
around the clock
children
and cars
cars and
children
compete
of course
children
lose
ever since then
it has been then
ever since
now and then
now then
then now ever since
three one one three
three three one one
antelope envelope cantaloupe
low high tide hanging standing
seven leaning resting roasting
octopus pus opus corpus
pharisee physician scientist
flourishing programable potato
welcome eleven welcome home
useful
it is
to use
having nothing
to lose
to use to
add read write judge drink eat drive hit fight
throw jump climb build act sing slay log fish
farm and abuse more than is humanly possible
fuck school today it sucks
forget work it means nothing
why am i miserable why am i
responsible why anyone anything today
a child can
be free
to sniffle no
one nothing
matters
matters
nothing
fuck you
just
drive by
you
fuck you
text your texts
swipe your trash
fuck you too
vermin
hospital
pharmacy
physician
patient
compose
cohere
affect
reflect
perfect
beggar
banker
mayor
philosophy
theology
fine art
above
heart
soul
mind
strength
touch
thought
word
deed
mood
frail
image
fantasy
identity
under
around
among
through
with
before
no luck
no love
no home
no money
no nothing
but lies
all around
nowhere
sacred
no drug
profane
nice cap
more crap
the heart
some
wear
the mind
some
were
the soul
some
where
blameless
no
not blameless
so who gives
a fuck
no fucking one
slime
life
time
clock
dark
speed
dark
matter
sunshine
rewind
delight
medically
eagerly
educated
personnel
officially
exceptionally
make believe
what fortune
inevitably
what liberty
for the meek
and fallen
and vulnerable
and gullible
society society
save
yourselves yourselves
run
run hide
predator
run hide
prey
run
creature
run
run
man
run
run hide
having bare blank
plato nightmare
in caves in lungs
deep sleep a grief
fall in stare out breathe in
snore
sport
series
racquetball court
ringside
accuse attorney
represent throne
judge jury
democracy
observe witness
win barely
beat beater beaten
all above all
unequal unfree unfair
athletes
maim
media
kill
erase
media
expunge
annihilate
massacre
media
mass murder
genocide
media
will not
anymore
say fuck
you
providing
clean
needles
friendship
saving money
you are
so nice
fuck you
have
to be
taffy
coffee
or poison
to campaign
here
to resumé
here
have
to be
so so so
have
to be
or not to
be in office
here
somewhere
alone
or
among
may have
to be in
a zoo
career
globally
formally
personally
molecularly
faraway
monastery
chant psalm
here cd hear
with god about
mirror
pixel
art
scissors
paper
rock
shy stern sly
women men
learn to study
to teach
students
to study
to teach
without singing
without dancing
to earn
back to
no bed
back to
the head
falls back
and back
to back
inspire
snort
more
still more
fire
more more
expire
this is
shitting
without self
control
so bad
it runs
down thighs
down legs
between toes
and finally
puddles
there were
a smelly
animal
stands
desperate
to undress
to strip
from clothes
soaked
in stinking
diarrhea shit
to clean
itself
somehow
time
be here
then
be there
then
be
when
there be here
then be now
where be when
time be here
brain
imaging
brain
city
city
city
pity
pity
pity
pretty
pretty
oh so
beautiful
seattle
Joseph F. Keppler is a multidisciplinary Seattle artist working in steel, drawing, poetry, and creative critical writing. He is a contributing editor at E·ratio.
