Sunflowers By Matthew Spence

Matthew Spence was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His work has most recently appeared in Bakunawa Press.

What's worse than death is going to Hell By Gale Acuff

when you die says my Sunday School teacher

and it's good that she smiles when she says so

or at least it makes me feel better, I

only want what's fair and I'm ten years old

and would like to be in Hell and deserve

even worse, I wouldn't be satisfied

and might complain to Satan that I feel

guilty and ask him if he doesn't have

someplace down there even worse than where I

am, I mean than where I'll be and wouldn't

it be funny if he answered You bet,

Gale--Heaven and then laughs and laughs and laughs

and nobody likes a smartass--I might

deck him for that. Which would be Paradise.

Gale Acuff has had hundreds of poems published in a dozen countries and has authored three books of poetry. Acuff has taught tertiary English courses in the US, PR China, and Palestine.

I'll go to Hell and die one day, I mean by Gale Acuff

one day I'll die and go to Hell and then

where will I be but where I deserve and

told my Sunday School teacher so but she

just shook and shook her head and smiled sadly

--I wonder if you can frown happily

--but anyway she said that I don't think

positively, optimistically too,

so I just said Yes ma'am, I'm not like you

but then she said Well, you're like the way I

used to be, she's 25 to my 10

so as she was about to say that I'll

grow up and be more mature and see things

in the right way with the help of God I

asked Who helps Him? She said He's helpless.

Gale Acuff has had hundreds of poems published in a dozen countries and has authored three books of poetry. Acuff has taught tertiary English courses in the US, PR China, and Palestine.