The breath always held whiskey, reeking of dad’s promise to never-again. Whiskers on four-year-old cheeks felt like love but left a rash, forever stinging memories. Mom said his love for us was a fifth of his love for the wild he ran off with, the night he took everything except the little girl on her bed wondering why.

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J. COBURN HACKETT is a small business owner, father of four, and sleep deprived. His poems can be found in The Journal of American Poetry, Slippery Elm Literary Journal, Scarlet Leaf Review, Cholla Needles and Crack the Spine. Jason is proud to be a part of Mental Papercuts’ inaugural publication.