Empty Seats
By Josh Young

 

There are chairs in the hallway no one ever sits in
Not once in the ten years I’ve been here
Has the chairs ever been occupied
Two of them side by side
Ready for a conversation
If two people needed a rest
Lonely lamp on round table separates them
Wide with short legs that are slightly curved
Like a plump women squatting
Leg muscles straining
Solid in their stance
Covered in gray fabric with red stripes
In a cross-fence pattern
The kind they make plain skirts and blouses with
The kind a woman who works in an office would wear
Serious in nature as she files reports
Balances the budget
Well organized but empty
Just like these chairs

 

Cruel Sun

The sun maliciously stares down
Heat so hot
Even the ants clear the sidewalk
Retreating into the cracks
Burrowing deeper and deeper
Civilizations used to sacrifice to the sun
Brought upon an altar
Knife in hand
Plunges
Cuts
Revealers chanting in ecstasy
Pause
Before the prize is
Held towards an indifferent face
Rejected
Its thrown into the crowd
Alas it was long ago
Sacrifice is shunned
Replaced by other forms of violence
But the sun’s cruel heat
Beats down
Malicious and
Board

 

Josh Young from US is a poet and writer from Richmond VA. His poems focus on observations, city living, and are sometimes just humorous. He also does open mics and slam poetry.