Alec Solomita’s fiction has appeared in the Southwest Review, The Mississippi Review, Southword Journal, and The Drum (audio), among other publications. He was shortlisted by the Bridport Prize and Southword Journal. His poetry has appeared in The Ekphrastic Review, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, The Galway Review, Bold + Italic, Litbreak, The Blue Nib, Red Dirt Forum, and elsewhere. He was longlisted for the erbacce-prize 2020. His chapbook, “Do Not Forsake Me,” was published in 2017 and is still available on Amazon. He lives in Massachusetts, USA.

Writing the Body

Occasional gout is one thing,
gouty arthritis is another.
My belly has swelled like
a pumped up beach ball
during this “challenging time.”
I’m cold then I’m hot.
My penis has become
quite sedentary. I live alone
and am, well, old but not
ancient. I wake up, anxiety
slithering in my middle,
but feel better after coffee.
This is quite common,
I see from my FB reading.
After coffee, a nap, a meal.
Then drinks.