when

by Derek Richards

when i was ten years old i knew ulan bator was the capital of mongolia.
i did not know fresh blood attracted sharks and therapists.

when i was twelve years old i knew australia produced my favorite red wines.
i did not know lost love demanded souls and centuries.

i have been a simple kiss all my life. infatuated with the worm inside the apple.
i have been a ruling slave all my life. unimpressed with caution.

when i was thirty-seven years old i knew the wind speeds upon neptune.
i did not know dead friends decided dreams and avenues.

About the Author

After performing both music and poetry around the Boston area for twenty years, Derek Richards shed his fear of rejection and began submitting his work this past August. So far his poetry has appeared in over thirty-five publications, including Lung, Word Riot, Cantaraville, Soundzine, The Centrifugal Eye, Opium 2.0, Sex and Murder, Calliope Nerve, Right Hand Pointing, Breadcrumb Scabs, Tinfoildresses, Poets Ink, The Foundling Review and Underground Voices. He has also been told to keep his day job by Quills and Parchment. His dog, cat and two ferrets admire his attempts to be honest, direct, brilliant and lucrative. Also, he wants you to know that he has compiled over 50 fantasy sports championships. Happily engaged, he resides in Gloucester, MA, cleaning windows for a living.

Maintained or neglected, familiar or foreign, well-worn or wild, roadways inform our decisions and identities. Their geographies direct the movement
of our lives and sketch the cartography of our stories. In this spirit, 322 Review publishes provocative emerging and established artists whose fiction,
creative nonfiction, poetry, and mixed media artwork wander the paths of human experience. A nonprofit literary journal conceived
and operated by former Rowan University graduate students, 322 Review is based in Southern New Jersey.