Swish by Randall Avilez

i had taken some pills i found
in a baggy downstairs
i said nothing the whole time
and sat feeling my hair grow.
good dead things swished in me
as i sat bone faced quiet
everyone just kind of ignoring
the elephant in the room.
cute girl talked me up a bit
but i didn't really care
i only talked back to be polite.
smoke a cigarette, with a borrowed
lighter from the cool guy
and feel my heart pound against
the ink sky before we leave.
sitting back still dead and unresponsive
i catch a glimpse oh her hand in his
and at this moment
i am glad the dead things swish
and i am glad i feel nothing.




Randall Avilez is a poet and musician from Southern California, born and raised in Anaheim. He's a student at the local community college and plays a guitar in a band called Apache and the Wolf. He's been published in Used Gravitrons, Electric Windmills and Crime Poetry Weekly.

Mural by Cake, in conjunction with Max Schweitzer, M/A/N/Y Project and FABNYC.

Photos by Adam Lawrence.

Mo Koulors creates African influenced hip hop and is based in the UK.