21st Century Problems: Sissy THAT Adderall (Part 1) (#201) (Louis Toliver Jr- Austin, TX)

“Mr. Boudreaux!” Mrs. Nunns shouted. “Hello?”

“I’m depressed?” Did I just imagine a doctor’s visit? I came out of my mind and realized I was still at Richard E. Nixon Junior High School. I looked at my clothes. Yes, I was still dressed like Justin Bieber. Wait, Mr. Boudreaux was me. Trey.

“Excuse me?” Nunns was becoming furious. “You are your son are next to perform. What is the song?”

I looked over to Ben, also still dressed like a mini-Justin Bieber. Something wasn’t right. I grabbed him and pulled him to the side. “What Bieber song should we do?”

“I don’t have Bieber fever. I hate him. He’s a sissy,” Ben started picking his nose while staring off at Terri who was watching her girlfriend and her kid dance to “No Rain” by Blind Melon dressed as bumble bees.

“Ben. One. Sissy is not a nice word. Two. WTF!? What are we going to do? I’ve only studied Justin Bieber dance moves. I can’t focus,” I looked over to Terri who looked over to me and smiled and nodded. That man-bitch, I thought. I wasn’t going to lose to Terri’s crazy bee girlfriend.

“One. Sissy isn’t a bad word. RuPaul says it,” Ben said with certainty. “Two. My buddy, Russell sales Adderall,” and out of the air Russell appeared backstage.

“How many you need?” Russell came from behind a curtain. He had a Prodigy t-shirt on with facial hair and Vans with carpenter jeans. Was he a 12 year-old too? I wondered.

Ben looked at me. I looked at Ben. “Just one, please.”

“That’ll be ten bucks.” Russell held his fist out and dropped the pill into my hand.

“Ten bucks?” I was flabbergasted by this little drug dealer.

“Yeah, they’re 30s. Time release,” Russell was serious.

I gave him the ten bucks and he disappeared behind the curtain. I looked at Ben. He looked at him. I took the pill.

“Wow. You took all of that?” Ben laughed.

“What’s your song!” Nunns kinda pushed.

“Let’s Hear for the Boy! By Deniece Williams!” I wasn’t about to be out-showed by some bumble bees. I'm Footloose, baby.

Comments

Ash Wednesday (Brian Falcon - New Orleans, LA)

It’s forgettable- the number of times I was called a “fucking faggot” as a kid. As a former child of god, I wasn’t expected to know what those words meant. I was taught that repentance was vital to achieving everlasting life. My momma made me go to church every Sunday. I said my prayers as I was told. But I eventually learned that Catholicism was never my sanctuary. Christianity was never my safe-haven. God never stopped the cheap shots. He never once prevented the harassment or pure embarrassment that I felt from the words of my “kin in Christ.” Now, picture me- a helpless faggot, blinded by the incandescent lights of an old catholic church. I was home from college spending Spring Break in my former hellscape. So, naturally, my momma yet again made me go to church. This time, on a Wednesday. It was Ash Wednesday. When I was among the folks from home, I felt out of place. So much that I’d imagine camouflaging myself. Like saber-tooth in hiding. But the difference? I had a far mo...

Louisiana Words Remembers Jorge Arturo

There’s nothing that hurts more than when we lose someone from our Louisiana Words family. But, the beauty of our writing movement is that the words of our loved ones live on with us. On June 20th, 2023, Louisiana Words Allstar, Jorge Arturo, moved on from this world leaving our hearts broken. He was a charismatic and talented human being. Jorge resided in New Orleans, LA and had been active on Louisiana Words for over a year. To honor Jorge’s life and work, we will be sharing his writing and live performances all Summer 2023. Please help keep his spirit alive by sharing his work. We know that Jorge’s words will connect with our readers and we hope to keep his spirit alive. Jorge’s first submission: “The Dog Show” debuted on February 6th, 2022 and is his most successful piece to date. In 2022, Jorge spent 10 weeks in the top with “The Dog Show,” “Weavers,” “They Say Love Kills, This Time It Really Did,” and “If Hell is Real, It Looks Like an Airport.” His la...

Nobody Said There'd Be a Day Like This (Sam Ray - New Orleans, LA)

I know how this should be: I've seen it, you see, In soap operas, Movies. Your eyes are closed, As if in sleep. Perfect peachy skin Atop a snow white pillow Under flawlessly matched sheets. The heart monitor, Quiet bleeps. The ventilator, A steady hiss. None of that is this. Your eyes Stuck open Seeing without sight Yellow sclera Dumb tears streaming. Tubes, taped to your face Delicate skin torn Where nurses Repositioned them To feed you To heal you You never liked being told What to do. Your whole torso spasms Spastic, Every 40 seconds. A machine Forces your lungs to act. Your hands are warm From hemodialysis But don't respond When we each grab one Give it a kiss. We spend the day Brushing your hair Telling stories Singing songs. Praying prayers. You're not there. Hospital staff Are more lovely If less pretty Than on TV. When the time comes They gently walk us From the room Close the curtai...

Search This Blog