By Paul Cunningham
a magazine and what it sells
a magazine is what it sells
a magazine holds 10 rounds or 15 if it is a standard magazine
a magazine holds 30 rounds if AR-15
if AR-15 a magazine speeds 800 rounds a minute
if AR-15 a magazine can hold 60 or 80 or 100 rounds
a magazine is breaking news—goes round and round—repeats the next day
a magazine a substitute for butcher’s paper
a magazine a photo a mother reliving the moment for the rest of her life
reliving the moment for the rest of her life
for the rest of her life
a magazine a skin rag an exit wound
a magazine a pornography not limited to unclothed bodies
unshielded bodies
a magazine is aiming for a new pornography it’s shooting for a language of violence it’s sticking to your guns if you’re trigger happy if you’re a real pistol you’ll stick to your guns if you’re ready to bite the bullet if you’re ready to jump the gun if you’re ready to shoot straight if you’re ready to go ballistic if you’re a real son of a gun
no son of mine’s gun shy no son of mine’s a shot in the dark no son of mine could do that in the middle of the dark no son of mine could do something like that in the darkness in the middle of the day no son of mine could go off like that no son of mine’s a son of mines no
a magazine a clip a clip from a magazine one clipped quote clipped from the headlines one quote reads the magazine rounds out just like this
“I do believe that an AK-47, a machine gun, is not a sporting weapon or needed for defense of a home,” says Ronald Reagan
a magazine another tragedy
and another and another and
a magazine another campus shooting’s front cover
a magazine where everyone waits for the explanation
a magazine where everyone waits for the motive
a magazine where everyone is buying what’s selling
a magazine details the caliber of a magazine
details the caliber of our president’s performance
details the caliber of the performance
a m-m-magazine is too many syllables
a m-m-magazine is too many
teenagers, sons, daughters, children
a magazine where everyone is famous
About the Author
Paul Cunningham is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Georgia. His poems have appeared in SAND, Yalobusha Review, DIAGRAM, Bat City Review, and others. His translations of Helena Österlund and Sara Tuss Efrik have recently appeared in Asymptote, Interim, and Sink Review. He holds an MFA in Poetry from the University of Notre Dame.
Bullets into Bells 