Jason Kleckner
Consolation Prize

Is this what I get
For all my hard work?
Some little trinket?
A fucking participation ribbon?

I am the runner-up.
I am second place.
I am the desolate shame
On my dad's sullen face.

I try my hardest —
Wins, losses, and ties —
But all I get for my effort
Is a consolation prize.

_ _

Jason Kleckner grew up in and still resides in Belmont, Massachusetts. He is currently an undergraduate student at Suffolk University, and is working towards a major in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Over the next year, he will be writing a short collection of personal essays as part of his senior honors thesis. He has worked as a reader/editor for both Clarion and Suffolk University's Salamander.

Back to Issue 19, 2016