A morbid fear of guns
whose array of co-morbidities
encompass
suppressed rage
post-traumatic stress disorder
delusional disorder
and panic disorder
this complex specific phobia
and avoidance
displacement
and transference
Or how else do hoplophobiacs
get from point A
to point B
without a gun permit
with a gun
without a firing mechanism
and without bullets
and the hallowed halls of Congress
clogged with lead?
Patrick, a resident of Garland, Texas, a Tree City just south of Duck Creek, is a retired parish pastor put out to pasture himself, a former shepherd of sheep, a small flock with no sheep dog and no hang-dog expression. Secretariat is his mentor, though he has never been an achiever and has never gained on the competition. He resonates to a friend’s definition of change; though a bit dated with the advent of wi fi, it has the ring of truth to it: change coming at us a lot faster because you can punch a whole lot more, a whole lot faster down digital broadband “glass” fiber than an old copper co-axial landline cable. Of late Patrick’s work has appeared in Poetry Pacific; Red Fez; SubtleTea; The Oddville Press; Literary Juice; Poetry Quarterly; and will appear in the Fall 2015 issue of The Penwood Review.
