One-Hit Wonder By Ken Gierke

They may be one hell of a trio,

but they only have one memorable tune,

a one-hit wonder of angst and pain.

Gallbladder, stoned out of its mind,

lets one rip long enough to send

Pancreas into a shrieking fit.

Not to be outdone, Liver responds

with an infectious laugh

that borders on manic.

It’s clear that Gallbladder has to go

but can’t be cut from the act

until Liver settles down.

So, what’s up with Liver, fear of failure?

Never been mistreated, never been

one drink away from destruction.

But if Gallbladder stays stoned,

destruction is inevitable,

and no one wants to hear that tune.

Ken Gierke is retired and transplanted to mid-Missouri from Western New York. His poetry has been published or is forthcoming both in print and online in such places as The Rye Whiskey Review, Poetry Breakfast, Amethyst Review, Rusty Truck, Trailer Park Quarterly, The Gasconade Review, and River Dog Zine. His poetry collections, Glass Awash in 2022, and Heron Spirit in 2024, were published by Spartan Press. His newest collection, Random Riffs is forthcoming. His website: https://rivrvlogr.com/