Black Soul Choir

By James D. Casey IV

Swallowed whole,
followed
down a dream.

Written
under duress,
at worms’ command,
behind dead eyes.

Can you
taste me?

Between my teeth,
I’m just like you.
An ape
in need of

the bottom.
In some form of
an escape.

The missing link.

Digging
through the ash.

A chemical imbalance,
never alone,
years inside
a memory

not made of flesh
and bone.
But alive, none
the less.

Every man is evil.
Every man’s a liar.
Singing into
a broken
mirror.

James D. Casey IV is the author of seven full-length collections of poetry, founder and editor-in-chief of Cajun Mutt Press, and extensively published online and in print by small press venues and literary magazines internationally. He is a southern poet with roots in Louisiana & Mississippi, currently residing in Illinois with his Beautiful Muse, their retarded dog, and two black cats.