Ten UFOs
Poetry By Kyle Kouri & Artwork by Figbar Lonesome
“Ten UFOs” Artwork by Figbar Lonesome
UFO #1
I haven’t seen one in a long time and is that because I haven’t needed to, which makes me wonder what’s more interesting, the fact that I’ve seen UFOs or that I needed to, was it an object in the sky or an anchor there, was this how bad it got, or how beautiful, you see the first star and then see more of them, your explore page becomes porn now, you used to read and the books knew everything, now you reach for
UFO #2
I used to say I could feel one coming, like the mechanics of a panic attack, but blissfully, and the first time it made my hands shake, the second time we cheered and said we’d never forget this day, the third time was almost laughable, how can this keep happening, now I keep looking but don’t expect to see, when I feel grief, these lights which once brought solace are in memory showing teeth.
UFO #3
Nick, I was so sure it was you in the sky there, big golden orb there, flashing twice there, I was praying and thinking about you in the backyard there, I was praying for my sister there, but why is faith so fickle when the triggers tickle that abysmal hole in me, the spreading black mold beneath the epidermis, please don’t peel off my skin, I’m not healed.
UFO #4
Sometimes when I’m walking I see the wholeness of the scene revert to jigsaw pieces, little seams retreating from abyss back into form. I don’t push past this ever, but I think I ought to, though that might be how one self-combusts. It’s like the light pouring towards you and through you and that is you on the other side of your skull. Nirvana’s so close it’s nowhere, I can explain, but I’m not ready to make the choice.
UFO #5
I ask him, well if it’s a window into somewhere else, then why would the quality of the sky apply? For instance, is it not just as likely the object would appear on the cloud as on a clear blue expanse? How could the shrouds of this realm impact the presence of something else? He says, well, look, I know where you’re coming from, but I don’t think we should deconstruct all building blocks of reality just yet. We need some sort of framework, amigo, at least in order to work this out.
UFO #6
There’s a sort of bubbling, rising from somewhere I can’t explain. It’s happening in the region between me and this other place. It’s upsettling. Raises the hair on my arms. When I reached this moment I took a step back and told them, no more, space brothers, this has gone too far for me. But with others, who pass the threshold, they begin to change. Crack. Become UFO brained. It’s like the edge. As the saying goes, you’ll never be able to explain what’s beyond the edge, because those who have glimpsed over the precipice have all fallen off.
UFO #7
The space is in my mind where I go to communicate. I can travel there and think of you and if you were so inclined you could pick up the signal and we could have a conversation. I have the strong suspicion I have communed with people in this realm, but I’ve never had the courage to ask them about it. The fact is I’ve been here with folks I’m not particularly close with. It would go against all decorum to broach the topic. I’d be a freak.
UFO #8
This is the UFO and it’s in the sky because I’ve written it. That’s not only possible, but completely true, and I laugh at you maggots who have lost God like this.
UFO #9
When standing in line at the coffee shop it occurs to me everyone here is an alien pretending to be human and the proof of this is my bones tingling, emitting translucent ectoplasm to mingle with the pedestrians. Everyone is performing this charade for no particular purpose other than, why not? It’s Saturday. What else ya gonna do? When you realize this is not only true, but necessary, you are closer to the realm of infinite possibility.
UFO #10
There’s no ending it, only unintending the velocity of the surge, with a black whiskey beer nut stoppage stuffed into the open valve in my neon gut. There’s where them words build up, says Captain, chewing a metallic pipe, pointing at the Vortex with his brand new robotic hand, as we travel the rancid seas of my hackneyed abdomen. Waiting, like the woeful surfers wait, for the next opportunity to
Kyle Kouri (@kylekouri on Instagram) is an award winning actor, writer, and filmmaker. He received his MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, where he served as the online arts editor for the Columbia Journal. He is the co-founder of Slashtag Cinema, a film production company. Slashtag's first film, the multi-award winning KEEP COMING BACK, which Kouri directed, co-wrote, and stars in, premiered at Screamfest in October 2024. His writing has appeared in Maudlin House, Pool Party Magazine, the Columbia Journal, Farewell Transmission, Bruiser Magazine, and Icebreakers Lit. His first book, THE PROBLEM DRINKER, is forthcoming from CLASH Books in 2026. He lives in and around LA with his four rescue dogs and his girlfriend, the writer CJ Leede.
Figbar Lonesome (@figbarlonesome on Instagram) is a comics creator, dungeon master, and Batmanologist from northern California who travels the states in a silver capsule on wheels with her special ladyfriend and their dog Tater-Tot.
