Johnny Thunders is dead. Hit and run. Hadn’t seen my poor, neglected Johnny in months, and here I am burying him. With my bare hands and a shovel I am burying him. In the backyard of the house Phoebe and I had once lived in together, he is being buried. I look over and see Flora, Phoebe’s bitch mother, the same woman who’s convinced everyone, including Phoebe, what a “childish mess” I am; which, in a sense, is true, but Christ, what a lousy thing to tell people—to take so much pleasure in telling people.
BRIAN ALAN ELLIS runs House of Vlad Press, and is the author of several books, including Sad Laughter (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2018). His writing has appeared at Juked, Hobart, Monkeybicycle, Fanzine, Electric Literature, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Funhouse, Heavy Feather Review, and Queen Mob’s Tea House, among other places. He lives in Florida, and tweets sad and clever things at both @brianalanellis and @HouseofVlad.