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Dead Skunk Logo: round logo of a white skunk silhouette on a black background with the words “Dead Skunk” in cursive. “Dead” is neon purple and “Skunk” is neon yellow.

Steve Sibra grew up in a flurry of fresh cowpies and galloping headless chickens on a small farm near Big Sandy, Montana. He spent many years in Montana, involved in higher education and more complex partying, until finally moving to Seattle. Steve's work has appeared in many journals, most recently Flint Hills Review, Dead Fern Press and Chiron Review to name a few, and a book of poetry entitled "Shoes For Baby" is forthcoming from Swallow Publishing.

Neon pink background, white button up dress shirt with thin black tie styled as if someone is wearing the garment but there’s no body. One sleeve in the air over the collar, the other sleeve reaching forward, a white rubber glove where a right hand should be.

STEVE SIBRA

DEAD MAN'S SHIRT

My arm dangled in the sleeve,

looking lifeless as the namesake

of the garment. “I’ll take it,”

I said, but of course it took me.

 

At the grocery some guy

I did not know called me

by a stranger’s name, slapped

my back, too hard to be

a friend. He looked long

into my face, studied features,

said “I heard you had passed”

then mentioned a wife left behind.

 

I punched him then, showed him

fists dead to the notion of mercy,

pummeled him among cumquats,

beat him senseless with radishes.

 

When they pulled me from the body,

I caught a glimpse in the vegetable

mirror. The shirt was familiar,

but the face like an alien, reversed --

the rage, anger hanging

from my skull like a smile.

Header image bortn76, Getty Images

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