By Bruno Talerico
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Lives eventually end,some disappear unnoticed.Lives wasted,damaged by myths of security,infected by legends of safety. Lives influenced byfalsehoodsperpetuatedby the misinformed,truthsmisinterpretedby the holy,good intentionsalteredby inaccuracies of understandingor translation.Meaningless lives leave behind lists:of goals not pursued,of unexplored fantasiesof unsatisfied desiresand forgotten dreams.Wasted lives don’t leave a trailof broken pieces,don’t leave piles of lovesfound and lost,don’t leave a vulnerable…
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The poets eye witnesses with impunity, glances into chaos,indignities and obscenities of decline.Like Atlantis sinking—poverty, war, famine.Like empires falling—fear, hatred, disbelief.But also, in parallel—art, music, kindness, generosity.The poets eyewitnesses with impunity,lips splatteringpros and cons, yins and yangs sloppily onto the page.© 2025 Bruno TalericoStafford challenge 242/365.
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Whenever a day passes,our lives are exactlyone day shorter,and our history is exactlyone day longer.A single dayalways costs exactlytwenty-four hours.© 2025 Bruno TalericoStafford challenge 241/365.
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Father sun sinks.Sky darkens then burnsand Coyote howls.Some are called to the desert.Inspired and energizedby the death, the dry,the sparse interspersed withthe brilliance and urgency of life.Coyotes, owls, lizards and snakesglide, prowl, creep and crawlpast cactus blossoms colorful as drag queens.Crypto-organisms cover the desert floor.Bacteria, fungi, algae and mossesknit a fibrous net that resists wind,forming…
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Secret words are everywhereon every raindrop, in every cell,on every fiber and every star.In the labyrinthine libraryof incomprehensible books,every line, every word written,is an unnecessary stainon silence and nothingness—spoiling the virgin purity of the void. Written wordsare self-quickening.Racing into the abysswithout full understanding.they stew and boil and stink.The void gagsand regurgitates them with breath of…
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Poetry allows for layers of meaning,neither sentimental nor inscrutable.It encourages readiness:to be surprised, to develop introspection,to become aesthetically movedby images, sounds, words, and gestures—images alive and real, yet not literal.It creates another world through metaphor,symbols gaining potency.Poetry allows the known andthe unknown to coexist.© 2025 Bruno TalericoStafford challenge 238/365.
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I plan to make life obey.I plan to take controlby filling my body with fresh air,pure water and tasty food,by filling my dayswith love and adventure.I plan to bore the sophisticatedand amuse the skeptics.I plan to make the futurepoint backwardsin wonder or confusion.I plan to create and appreciateuntil my cheeks are rosy,my limbs are sturdy…
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One clear plastic bagcontaining a few handfuls of white gritsealed with a numbered metal clamp,in case the deceased might try to escape. One official copy certificate of death,embossed with seal of the great state,signed and dated by the doctor,the coroner and the county clerk.One cardboard box labeled“personal effects“wallet, comb, car keys,car wash receipt,half a roll…
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Carrot-topped,self appointed pseudo-monarch,The Rhino, destructive and shortsighted,sits, powerful and self-important,beside painted beauty queen, surroundedby deceitful rooks and scheming clergy.Armored knights and outplayed pawnsmarch proudly past the white palace,saluting their unclothed king.© 2025 Bruno TalericoStafford challenge 235/365.Image obtained on the internet.
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He loved his Chevy, hot dogs, Hank Williams,snow cones, and tomatoes off the vine.He hated priests, rabbis, gurus,preachers, and politicians.He loved his grimy fedora, worn blue jeans,white socks, sneakers, and old T‑shirts.He hated animosity, racial slurs,the F word and narrow minds.He loved baseball, Star Trek,buttered popcorn, and a good argument.He hated gospel, opera,punk rock, hip…
Desert Dweller 