a poem by justin sherwood

The Future


I got nailed
by a pram
on Broadway working
my way to Prince
where I discovered
the toilets aren't
what they used
to be. The stalls
are impossibly
small. I wanted
something sticky
and permanent, all
I got is this
bruise. We have
no fight left, traded
in for license
and luck. Let me
remind you it was
on this corner
that John Giorno
fucked Keith Haring
before they were
famous. Only John
survived which
should temper my
desire but I'm
furious and bored
who's with me?
Let's fuck for
posterity. Take
a spit test
if it turns out
blue I will know
it was you.






"The Future" originally appeared on MOMA’s INSIDE/OUT blog

Justin Sherwood's poems have appeared in ILK, H_NGM_N, The Mackinac Review, and elsewhere. His essays and reviews have appeared in New Criticals, The Poetry Project Newsletter, and Construction Magazine. He is a graduate of The New School MFA Creative Writing program, where he was selected for the 2012 Paul Violi Prize in Poetry.