Poem #12: Poem for Eddie

Continuing our celebration of National Poetry Month, this recent poem revolves around the themes of alcoholism, loss, and death, and doesn't have much of a cheery theme either. But it's deeply close to my heart and represents an important and inspirational part of Jonathan's life journey:

First-generation son of Catholic immigrants
Eddie had a choice between life and drinking

And being drunk chose him: “The only thing I like to do is drink”
He laughed, dying one swig at a time

Eddie and Jonathan drank together, beginning at age 16
Then, at the bitter end of a decade, hospital beds and long wires

And dialysis, Eddie holding his mother’s hand
Detached retinas floating in thin pools of red

Searching for Jonathan—who himself feared death by bottle
At the time and certain if not Eddie, then him

Blood coagulating to a languid paste
Jaundiced fingers reaching—when Jonathan kissed Eddie

Goodbye, skin from Eddie’s forehead
Came off on Jonathan’s lips

Jonathan recovered from drinking one day
His best friend all dust and cautionary tales

Eddie had a decent job in voting booth technology
His dream to ease the burden for others to choose

"Poem for Eddie," copyright 2026 Amelia Cotter (first published in Gut Punch Literary Journal: Issue 1: Heartbreak, 2025)

Poem #11: Illusion of Heaven

April is National Poetry Month! I wrote this poem in college, and while it doesn't have the cheeriest of themes, it does make me nostalgic for the time and place in which it was written:

Red star, heart-shaped
Hangs from my ceiling and catches the light
Color of blood, essence of passion
A treasure to me and a symbol of love

Is dull to the touch, no trace of warmth
Tears at the surface and infects within
If was eaten, would make me ill
But shimmers and evokes hunger still

Facets sparkle, magic was there
Disappointment hangs now and blackens the night
Faux star, sky my ceiling
Glow bright once more and restore the firmament.

"Illusion of Heaven," copyright 2026 Amelia Cotter (most recently published in Illinois State Poetry Society Member Poems, 2024)

History Alive: Now Streaming on PARAFlixx!

Inside the walls and on the grounds of our country's most historic sites are stories waiting to be told. History isn't always left in the past. Sometimes it's alive, right in front of us... The hourlong premiere of History Alive is now streaming on PARAFlixx! Join us as we explore Fowler Theatre and "Old" Benton County Jail in Fowler, Indiana, and Jonesville Rest Home in Jonesville, Kentucky. 

It's been a privilege to work alongside this fantastic cast and crew. This has been, and continues to be, the coolest journey. Use promo code BOOTIQUE25 for 25% off your annual subscription to PARAFlixx and stay tuned for Season 1 of Spooky Story Bootique, coming this spring! Thanks and Happy Hauntings!

With the cast of History Alive (Lee, Jamie, Pete, Kara, and Jeffrey).