J.D Clapp

Back in the glory days, Rolexes,

Bespoke suits, and $1000 shoes, I

Sat at the head with the ghosts,

Mind numb, spirit wary. 

Back in those days, when 

My Cock didn’t work, drunk up

On power and Napa wine.

Back on those nights, when I never slept

I watched the naked Chinese man from my window

Across the street, smoking all night

Alone at his kitchen table. 

Back in those days 

When I wanted to die, I had

Small f -fame, but

Bums and rats ran my streets. 

When I could stomach no more,

I traded it for pencils and notebooks, 

Peace, my soul.

These nights I fuck sober, then read 

Before sleep. In the liminal space 

when the clock stalls at 3:00, 

My muse visits me. 

Tomorrow, I’ll do it again, and 

End the day, 

Content, 

Unknown.


JD Clapp is based in San Diego, CA. His poems have appeared in PovertyHouse, Revolution John, Fictionette, Maya’s Micros/The Closed Eye Opened, and the Remembering Charles Bukowski Anthology (Moonstone, 2023).