diary of a false assassin

it starts with love, or a lot of like
he’s crazy cute, right?
he’ll say anything to make you let him

it takes you by surprise
even though you know how it works
hoping it wouldn’t ≠a plan to prevent it

you don’t tell anyone
then you tell everyone

have it, don’t have it
here’s the number of the clinic
i’ll drive you, myself
it’s out-of-state

if you don’t have it, you’re a murderer
puzzle of the day: if that thing in your stomach
has no brain and no heart, why is it more
important than you?

because you have no value
except to bear things

you’re an incubator
an earthen vessel

an now, with a thought to your
own future, a killing machine
a false assassin

 

Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash

Written by 

Anne Leigh Parrish’s new poetry collection, The Banished and the Dead, appeared in March 2026 from Unsolicited Press. Her next collection of short stories, People Ruin Everything, will arrive in October 2026, also from Unsolicited Press. In 2027 she will present two more titles: When the River Runs Blue, poems; and The Quiet Violence of An Angry Heart, both from Unsolicited Press. She lives in Olympia, Washington. Explore her writing at www.anneleighparrish.com and her photography at www.laviniastudios.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *