Death By Orphans

Paul K. Tunis is a graphic poet. His work has appeared in Bateau, Paper Darts, LUMINA, At Large and some other places.

For freelance illustration, animation or book cover design contact paulktunis[at]gmail[dot]com

He completed an MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College, and could beat up your dad.  He is the Cactus Shadow Kid™.

Unless otherwise noted all words and images on this site are by paul k. tunis

Adventures of the Cactus Shadow Kid

Recall the time,

Stuck tongue to teddy-bear-cholla tips and

Left hand in pocket through rattlesnake nest, we swam the desert?

I turned a chipmunk heart inside out and

Found it spiny and raw.

It wouldn’t fit in my cactus wren hollow chest.

The shade my stubble casts is enough to hide us both

But you’ll have to sit on my lap

Where the puffy parts of our bodies meet denim wrapping

Words like dry knuckled-fists

Can’t figure how best to say

That even alone you seem quiet.

Bulky improper circumstance.

And we can’t help but nuzzle the gnawed nautilus shells

Left by cross-eyed sailors.

My arm is the width of an apple-core

And my crooked hair is one curled wire,

And sandwind can turn my eyes to gray,

And the mechanical click

Of my jaw when I say, “It’s twilight.”

Are all symptoms of a contagious me

That no one seems to get.

Because I’m the speakeasy where prose meets cons and

Everything I say is lazy.

It’s never hard to be an outlaw

With sawdust in your mouth.