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, Subterranean Blue Poetry, The Blue Nib, Red Dirt Forum, and elsewhere.  His chapbook, “Do Not Forsake Me,” was published in 2017 and is still available at Finishing Line Press and Amazon. His first full-length book of poetry was published this past April by Kelsay Press. He lives in Massachusetts, USA.

Last Party

In the early dusk of fall
in a circle of old friends,
rolling cigarettes
in the warm breeze,
drinking like a school of fish,
teasing in increasingly
loud, increasingly affectionate
tones. And flirting with a wink
of a puffy eye.

“In the company of his
Beloved cat Mary.”
That is, alone.
He was gone
just a month or so after
he stretched his big hand
across the table to shake mine.