“Facebook – 8/21/17” is one of five fabulously dada-esque poems by William Lessard from our Winter 2018 issue.

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AMERICA’S LONGEST-RUNNING WAR? /the Civil War, my lovelies

                        anyone who thinks otherwise is misinformed by #fact

*overheard at DUNKIN’ DONUTS this morning*       i hate when people do things, and they work out                                                                                         it makes me feel like i should do things

                        someday the robots will do the Civil Warring for us             until then, history falls down the stairs carrying a tray of shoes for lunch

=========>the Civil War franchise, mansplained as your dad eating Pepperoni Combos—

1. in the original movie the Confederacy lost then put up bronze participation trophies in all the parks
             B. like Star Wars, all the sequels are the exact same movie, just played in reverse

                    i like my Civil War with cheese                      you prefer yours on a Kaiser bun

America is loath to let a profitable franchise go, but sometimes not-dumpster-fire life events
                    do happen:
                              your dog barks into an Amazon dot™, buys you a Prius
—or, on an evening when you see ghosts turning in the snow outside your window,
                                        a wife/husband/lover/stranger
                                                                                                        turns
                                                                                a key
                                                  /key that only they can see

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WILLIAM LESSARD has writing that has appeared or is forthcoming in McSweeney’s, FANZINE, Prelude, Hyperallergic, PANK, Brooklyn Rail. His work has also been featured at MoMA PS1.