"gary"

by Mason McClay

those three gods i touched
had wallets under their chin
telling me
the peoples brat
what to do

if im dead might you as well tell me
somebody must have dug me up
from a missile site

barber counselor butcher
plumber carpenter cook
not china but africa
not out of here but oregon

i preside over my back molars
where the 10 commandments
were embedded

he made the pearly gates
and they were automatic
it must have been 3 or 4 days
it must have been a couple hours
and i cant think that fast

______

Mason McClay is a writer and cognitive psychologist based in Los Angeles. He researches the structure of emotional memories and language in trauma and psychosis. His first books are forthcoming in 2026 by Keith, LLC Press and Waste Management Press.

[GO HOME.]