shot glass
title
"... brevity is the soul of wit ..."
- William Shakespeare

Bio


J. J. Steinfeld is a Canadian fiction writer, poet, and playwright who lives on Prince Edward Island, where he is patiently waiting for Godot's arrival and a phone call from Kafka. While waiting, he has published fourteen books, including Should the Word Hell Be Capitalized? (Stories, Gaspereau Press), Would You Hide Me? (Stories, Gaspereau Press), An Affection for Precipices (Poetry, Serengeti Press), Misshapenness (Poetry, Ekstasis Editions), and A Glass Shard and Memory (Stories, Recliner Books). His short stories and poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and periodicals internationally, and over forty of his one-act plays and a handful of full-length plays have been performed in Canada and the United States.


J. J. Steinfeld


 

My Smile Downplayed

I've been rehearsing
my last words night and day
standing in front of a broken mirror
my hair combed, my smile downplayed
wanting something shaped
between meaningless contrivance
and meaningful grievance
I suspect no one will be listening
or taking notes but just in case
a creature of renown flies by
I want to catch its attention.