Ray Osborn

Wasp


ISSUE 34 | BAIT AND SWITCH | NOV 2013

I see
the bee
and the flower
In their relation
to sky
But I am
left gazing
and jealous
as a star
whose doubling
could never reach
heaven’s peak.
I am burning
With the sting
Of seeing
Myself loved
But feel
Only the
Returned
Thrust
of
A lusty
Sting song
From my nemesis,
Left burnt
until
the negation
of the common
snuffs me out
of the garden
of the world
Into one of white
bats or doves
Who are no universe.

The Hypocrite Reader is free, but we publish some of the most fascinating writing on the internet. Our editors are volunteers and, until recently, so were our writers. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, we decided we needed to find a way to pay contributors for their work.

Help us pay writers (and our server bills) so we can keep this stuff coming. At that link, you can become a recurring backer on Patreon, where we offer thrilling rewards to our supporters. If you can't swing a monthly donation, you can also make a 1-time donation through our Ko-fi; even a few dollars helps!

The Hypocrite Reader operates without any kind of institutional support, and for the foreseeable future we plan to keep it that way. Your contributions are the only way we are able to keep doing what we do!

And if you'd like to read more of our useful, unexpected content, you can join our mailing list so that you'll hear from us when we publish.