Failed Songs By Matt Gulley

Failed Songs

The measures falter, and simply
adjoin
on staffed paper, dots
in discordant rhythm.

Not homes, but commerce
Not communities, but investment
opportunities 
whole plots in balanced sheets.

We sing that song
to each other
in the karaoke bar
sentimental yet unsmiling.

Not tended to, administrative
to tangled lines 
that do not pull
the marionette of self.

This is all for someone somewhere
to whose benefit 
does my despair rejoice?
I can say but I’d rather not.

In preaching to the choir,
in the telling of old tales
you catch yourself,
just a glimpse, for a moment only.

As children we knew
of each other
and in little droves we go on
singing a failed song.

Matt Gulley is 35 years old. He attended Wayne State University in Detroit and the MFA program at Long Island University in Brooklyn. He currently resides in Brooklyn with his girlfriend Jenna. Recently published in The Twin Bill, Blood Tree Literature, The London Reader, and Sunspot Literary Journal. @selfawareroomba on twitter dot com