” Imaginary Shotguns” by Matthew Olzmann

A poem by alum Matthew Olzmann (poetry, ’09) appears at Fogged Clarity:

There’s a teenager in an SUV, shopping mall, or nightclub
with an imaginary shotgun. The weapon belongs to him,

but he doesn’t—he can’t—know it’s there. That’s one problem
with an imaginary shotgun: if one is unaware of its existence,

one might feel safe enough to forget about the possibilities,
to hope the night sky is glorious, and the birds

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