Burned by the Years

Crashed and blown up again in F-Zero,

as I can’t believe I was ever good at this game

(my copy the Player’s Choice edition

that was a Christmas present

in high school because we couldn’t afford

the new systems with their upgraded deaths),

and now, 2560 is a trip down memory lane-

my swearing making me feel young again,

while mode-7 flames engulf what’s left of me.

My Unremarkable Truth

I’ve tried to find Truth or Consequence, 

New Mexico on a map, only to be distracted

by the borders, giving countries their shape,

while Mick Foley united so many of us

by 

falling 

sixteen 

feet

onto 

an 

announcer 

table-

the type of showmanship that gives the old cliche,

“An artist bleeding for their art,”

fresh blood, even twenty years later,

and if you’re expecting this poem to have a point,

all I can say is I’ve never had stitches

except that one time I had a mole removed,

or the closest I ever had to a broken bone

was when I stubbed my toe hard,

and it turned a deep purple,

reminding me of nothing in particular.



Richard LeDue (he/him) lives in Norway House, Manitoba with his wife and son. His poems have appeared in various publications throughout 2021. His second chapbook, “Winnipeg Vacation,” was released in 2021 from Alien Buddha Press. His third chapbook is forthcoming.