I’m glad I’m not rich because I’m pretty sure I’d be an asshole

by Jason Melvin

you can never be an ocean
if you’re afraid to make waves

most days, i’d rather be a creek
or even a puddle

splash up on children
as cars drive by

they laugh and smile
and even though

there’s less of me now
i feel complete

Jason Melvin received a gimmicky T-shirt from his teenage daughter on Christmas with a picture of one large fist fist-bumping a much smaller fist. The caption read, “Behind every smart-ass daughter is a truly asshole Dad.” It fit. His work has recently appeared in A Thin Slice of Anxiety, Roi Faineant, Outcast, Bullshit Lit, Olney, Punk Noir and others. His poems were nominated for Pushcarts by Bullshit Lit and Outcast. His first chapbook, Wrong Things, will be published by Bullshit Lit in late 2022. He can be found on Twitter @Jason5Melvin, Instagram @JasonMelvin5 and on his website at www.jasonmelvinwords.weebly.com.