Etiquette

by Theo Morris


I’m currently burning in Hell for tripping

some doomsday wire, destroying Earth. The ardor’s more

like indigestion from ghost peppers than anything,

but to ache like this forever . . . Yeesh. And besides that,

I’m asked every night to defuse

a time bomb, my instruction manual

in blindingly white

print. I always screw up,

but that’s not important. My archrival, the Antichrist

of card sharks, has located a rune on Mars

that can send her back in time

and to Pensacola, Florida. Now, question:

If my life on Earth is restored via time travel,

am I still burning in Hell? It is eternity, after all.


And a follow-up:

If I’m out of Hell, does that mean I have

to send out a bunch of apology letters?


Theo Morris received his MFA in poetry from West Virginia Wesleyan College. His work has appeared (sometimes as Aaron) in various journals, including ABZ, Cartridge Lit, Home Planet News, Jet Fuel Review, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, and Unbroken Journal.