Sniper’s Rhythm
by Tamer Mostafa
lay belly down
arms overhead
and palms flat
lift shoulders
expand rib cage
move belly
so the dome
of diaphragm
clenches the guts
line rifle on side
of dominant eye
fit butt and guard
into proper pockets
of the body
keep eyes open
relax forehead
jaw lips eyelids
in that order
recognize wind
speed and direction
adjust accordingly
hold breath
identify target
and begin counting
one two
and pull
Walk to the Coffee Shop
Under a crabapple tree
a black cat
lies on its side
absorbing the leaves.
The stench undeveloped.
A crusted napkin
once red in added color
is picked up by the wind
carried to the tunnel’s
graffiti and halogen light bulbs.
On the unmarked street
a truck runs over
sets of rubber rumble strips
that mimic the sound
of premeditated rapid fire.
The Dealers are Sleeping
The lessons become redundant,
how to cover when you crush
on the clipboard. No credit cards
or crisp bills.
It’s minutes before closing
in the Walmart ammunition
aisle. I haven’t been this light
in years.
Here’s the deserted road behind
the river and all those abandoned
houses that come to life after
midnight.
We shoot bullets to the moon
and hope its shattered craters
land at our feet.
There’s talk and scheming
on how to live righteous
when our numb nostrils
and teeth regain feeling.
You’d forgive anything
in this state, unless it’s only
residue lining the inside of my
cigarette pack’s plastic pouch.
I’m sorry. I mistook you
for an old friend. Can you give
me directions to East Manchester?
I have a pickup to make.
BIO
Tamer Mostafa’s work has been featured in California Quarterly, The Rag Literary Magazine, Poets Espresso Review, Confrontation Literary Magazine, Stone Highway Review, and No Infinite. He was the recipient of the 2011 CSU Sacramento Bazzanella Literary Award in Creative Non-Fiction and the 2013 Lois Ann Latin Rosenburg Prize for Poetry.
