By age five, his father was doing his best to make a man of him. He had unusual methods:
1) Burrowing both fists into the shoulder blades, elbows deep (this will teach him how to eat pain).
2) Sculpting his silhouette to fit some kind of monster.
3) Transfiguring his hands into shovels by applying some strange alchemy making him dig a hole from the belly through the chest cavity, carving out enough room for a punching bag.
4) Trapping the voice box in his fist like a lighting bug, tightening his grip until there’s no more space for its glow.
J. Ian Bush is an Ohioan poet who is interested in the confessional and surreal. Their first chapbook, “Route 23 to Golgotha” was published by EMP books, a small press, in early 2019. Ever since, they have been selling copies online, as well as at live readings. They also run a house venue in their city, where a regular poetry reading is held, as well as other local performing artists. Their work has been featured in various magazines and journals.