Long Time Fan, First Time Caller
I have suffered
the greatest of indignities
I was once thirteen for an entire year
and the next year was no better
My mother insisted
til the day she died
that I was born at a very early age
I still don’t know if I believe that
But if there was one thing
my mother said
that is an undeniable fact
it’s that you can keep Jesus Christ,
the real King of the Jews
is Neil Diamond
Your Momma, Your Daddy, Your Whole Generation
So many elder Millennials
when they were young
would use this on the playground
as the final insult
to end a war of words
with most of that material
stolen from In Living Color
the night before
Little did they know
that they were insulting themselves
with that final statement
And I have lost more sleep than I should
wondering if the kids who said that
ever put two and two together
✶✶✶✶
DANIEL W. WRIGHT is poet, editor, and fiction writer. He is the founder of Back of the Class. Wright most recently released The Unheard Music (Kung Fu Treachery Press, 2025) and the novella Snake Oil (Dark Heart Press, 2024). Wright is the author of five full length collections of poetry, two works of fiction, and co-author of three poetry splits. His work has appeared in numerous print and online journals such as 365 Days, Gasconade Review, Chiron Review, and Book of Matches. Wright currently lives in St. Louis where you can usually find him in a bookstore or coffee shop.
✶
Edward Lee is an artist and writer from Ireland. His paintings and photography have been exhibited widely, while his poetry, short stories, nonfiction have been published in magazines in Ireland, England, and America, including The Stinging Fly, Skylight 47, Acumen and Smiths Knoll. He is currently working on two photography collections: “Lying Down With The Dead” and “There Is A Beauty In Broken Things.” He also makes musical noise under the names Ayahuasca Collective, Orson Carroll, Lego Figures Fighting, and Pale Blond Boy.
✶
Another Chicago Magazine 