Matt Lauer, 2005/ Why I Learned to Stop Sleeping
J.I.B
In 2005, Matt Lauer, in his infinite wisdom, told me the world was ending sooner rather than later. It was a hot summer. My family was sharing bath water. The price of gasoline was too high and it had eaten a hole in the ozone layer. I was prescribed Adderall and told not to worry about how all our air was seeping out. I went to church. The preacher said that America isn’t mentioned in the Bible for a reason. I was Baptized. I took my pills by mouth twice daily. When sharing bath water, it’s impossible to really get clean. Matt Lauer warned that bombs may drop on us while we dreamed.
J.I.B is a prose poet and essayist from Appalachia. Their work has been featured in various publications, and they’ve authored three collections, including “Our Tiny Little Lives”.