Suicide And Cookies
by Kay Kestner:
Suicide And Cookies
I bring him suicide and cookies
at the library of course.
Tucked away in the quiet reading room
I find him fighting his usual war
attacking virgin paper
making it bleed black veins
of blood that no one
but me seems to want to read.
I hand him a book called First Words
a collection of the earliest writings
of contemporary famous authors.
“It’ll make you want to die,” I whisper
“when you find out
that what they wrote
when they were twelve
is better than anything
you’ve ever written.”
It’s an ugly book that looks
like it weighs more
than the concrete boot
of a drowning man.
He does not open it
only eyes it a moment
then pushes it aside.
He looks up at me empty.
“And I made cookies.”
I tell him with a smile
a little too loud for the room.
I open the lid
on a festive Christmas tin
in what is now late spring.
“Chocolate chocolate chip.”
© March 8, 2015 – Kay (Ann) Kestner
Previously Published in Love & Ensuing Madness, Rat’s Ass Review
Do Something for Democracy
Nationwide Protests – April 5th, 2025
Visit https://handsoff2025.com/ to find a rally near you.
The resources on the Do Something for Democracy page give you ways you can take action. Find what fits your comfort level. No one can do it all, but we all can do a little something.
Given the rapid changes to our government in the United States, it’s vitally important for us to speak up. Silence and apathy will only embolden a leader who serves his own agenda – an agenda that undermines democracy both within the US and around the world.
Every small act adds up when we all “do something.” Even if it’s just making one call, once a week to one of your representatives – that adds up!
Kay Kestner 
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