the police found a body at the park yesterday.

probably a suicide. male, 18, nobody knows

the details. but it was the most scared

this town has been since somebody robbed

the burger place and stabbed the manager

in the head. unless you count the other suicides.

the school flag flew half mast until the end

of the year because another one of us committed.

i don’t know why my parents were so shocked —

this whole year, i was only surprised once,

when my health teacher said two-thirds

of high school seniors are virgins, but i think

that’s just something faculty say to try to delay

the spread of boys bringing shotguns to lunch

and calling themselves incels instead of terrorists,

but according to rumors, we almost got shot up

this year, so they might already be too late.

sometimes i think too much about this, smoke

cannabis in my closet, and saunter around the house

high and i know my parents know and laugh

with the neighbors while my friends deal drugs

underneath cafeteria tables and i tell them

they’re going to get caught, but everything

feels small as long as nobody’s got a gun.