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Poetry: mouth wash by Geoffrey Aitken

mouth wash

by Geoffrey Aitken

he
didn’t know
i was schizophrenic
& so
blurted out
you could shoot yourself
sending
my imagination
to the muzzle
of a handgun
in my mouth
barrel
aimed vertically
upwards
to wonder
what i might feel
or
against my temple
&
what sort of mistake
that would be
but
unprompted
& more recently
it’s been the invitation
to steer my vehicle
across the road
into oncoming traffic
which
failed to concern my GP
not abnormal
he assured me
&
again i wondered

how many triggers are there?

About the author

Geoffrey Aitken is a recovering schizophrenic and former Senior School English teacher who is writing cathartically to reignite his voice. He is an emerging poet here in South Australia and published by “TAMBA, Issues 66, 67 & 68” (AUS), “Cacti Fur” upcoming (US), “Flashes of Brilliance” (US), “Hole-in-the-Head” (US), “Into the Void” (CAN) and “Oxygen” (AUS). He is not after dinner suburban congeniality and though older, still requires supervision.

Other work by Geoffrey Aitken on Flashes

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Flashes

Created in 2014, Flashes is a privately owned literary website. We publish short stories, non-fiction, flash fiction and poetry. Our goal is to give talented writers a platform to showcase their creativity, with an emphasis on original voice, innovative style and challenging plots.
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