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CHRIS MARDIROUSSIAN

/Tormentor/

While attempting to conjure,

scribble an impromptu,

greasy poem,

the old geezer 

snatched my pen

right under this crooked nose. 

 

“Go buy me some beer heathen,”

the old geezer barked.

 

“Why can’t you?” I said.

 

“Boy, what’d you say?”

 

My toenails tossed, turned,

and twitched. “I mean, why 

do I have to go? It is really

A necessity?”

 

“Boy, I’m disabled, crippled, 

with carpal tunnel, a dislocated shoulder,

hemorrhoids and one busted kneecap.

Not to mention, I pay the rent, utilities,

and put a roof over your head,”

the old geezer growled.

 

“I don’t feel like it,” I complained.

 

“Boy, if you don’t go, I’ll have you 

evicted and thrown out on the streets.

Don’t test me. Go get me my beers!”

 

The old geezer had a point. I couldn’t 

argue with that equivocal, infallible,

primitive logic.

 

“Fine,” I said.

 

I tossed the lipstick-stained poem onto the 

floor, put on a fresh pair of undies, stinky

socks, creased sweatpants, greasy jacket, 

and grabbed my keys.

 

Sometimes, we respect our elders…

/Tough Love/

On our fourth date,

I bought beers and

ordered bacon-wrapped

hot dogs at the Orange County 

Fair for my succulent, corrupt,

scarred broad.

 

“So,” she said, taking a sip of beer.

“Do you believe in love at

first sight?”

 

I took a bite of the hot dog.

 

“I feel like that’s a very ambiguous

question,” I said.

 

“How so?”

 

“As a youngster, I used to think love

at first sight was plausible. You know, 

we just look into each other’s eyes and 

somehow know this is it. Then I got

stupider, and volunteered myself for 

chemical romances which led me down

A rabbit hole that if we swindle, exploit,

fiddle with the soul, then anything is possible.”

 

“I do think there’s that initial, undeniable

spark. I guess you could say I’ve had

many loves at first sight.”

 

I believed her. Wouldn’t be

surprised if she was the one who got 

dumped every single time. Gitty 

optimism is a sin. Heresy.

 

“How do you feel about us?” I asked.

 

“Not sure,” she admitted. “We might

be able to get there.”

 

“Cheers to not knowing,” I said, as we

clinked beers. 

 

As we chugged the rest of our beers, I had

an epiphany.

 

“You won’t find it with 

me,” I said.

 

“What do you mean?” she said.

 

“I’m not interested in a fantasy, 

it’s all a scam.”

 

“Really, you mean that?”

 

“Let’s face it, you’re a gitty

optimist and I’m a nutcase.”

 

“How could you say that!” she belched, 

as her lips trembled with fear.

 

“Sooner or later,” I said. “You’ll get

sick and tired of my superficial, 

saucy, savage ideas and

dump me like a sack

of feces.”

 

“So, this is it between us.”

 

I shrugged.

 

“Take me home.”


What a ploy, I thought. 

/Color Velvet/

You got this notion

we’re on this motion

transfigured like

a voodoo potion

how can we expect 

to make amends 

without 

Love,

Drugs,

Booze,

Alimony,

Daylight,

Or darkness

Filling the glass

With nothing 

But a forgotten

name with a 

side of shame… 

ingrained in 

the

hyperbolic

psychedelic 

nebulous

membrane. 

Poet's Description for "Tough Love"

​

"Tough Love" takes readers through one of the many bittersweet trials and tribulations of life by exploring both the tenderness of identity and limits of love. This poem represents stretch marks, scars, and calluses; a spiraling staircase into a cantankerous abyss; a capricious relationship confronting the obscurities and/or absurd realities of twenty-first century America. This poem combines the comedic timing of Hunter S. Thompson, the sharp dialogue of David Mamet, and the brutal realism of Charles Bukowski.

Written by:           Chris Mardiroussian

Painting:          View of Rooftop (Effect of Snow) (Gustave Caillebotte, 1878)

CHRIS MARDIROUSSIAN

​

In 2018, Chris Mardiroussian won First Prize in the Cinema Italian Style Film Festival (sponsored by the prestigious American Cinematheque in Los Angeles) for his short film entitled IL BREAKUP, which he co-wrote and produced. In 2017, he co-wrote a collection of poetry entitled HONESTY. LOVES. CRUELTY. He has also worked on several independent films such as "Friends in High Places" (2021), nominated for Mexico City’s International Cannabis Film Festival, "The First Color" (2020), won the Disability Issues Award, and "The Ties that Bind Us" (2019), won the Gold Award for Independent Shorts. His work has appeared in BOMBFIRE, Chasing Shadows Magazine, Maythorn Magazine, Pomona Valley Review, Pocket Baby, Soul Talk Magazine and elsewhere. He lives in Glendale, California.
 

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