Masturbatory Activities By Ben Newell

In my spam folder

the would-be extortionist 

claims to have activated 

my laptop camera,

claims to have captured all

of my masturbatory activities 

in the past three months;

if I do not pay immediately

the would-be extortionist 

will send this footage to 

family, friends, coworkers—

Shit, I think, giving myself 

a quick once-over;

from now on I’ll have to be 

more mindful of my hair 

and what I wear when

writing these poems.  

Ben Newell dropped out of the Bennington Writing Seminars during his first semester, eventually resuming his studies at Spalding University where he earned an MFA. He makes ends meet (barely) working as a dishwasher and freelance writer.