POETRY 2024: Sunset Boulevard Hallucinations by Sam Hendrian

Send us Fan Mail Sunset Boulevard Hallucinations by Sam Hendrian She’d made a living out of first impressions Even if she wasn’t always sure What those first impressions were. If you leave things at a handshake and a smile There’s little room for error Unless of course the smile says more than was meant to be said. We all fall victim to projections, To checklists we have no means of seeing While lost in the mundane maze of small talk. Nowadays though there’s no guarantee The rarity of an accurate perception Isn’t stolen by a double-tapping reassessment. Perhaps all constructions of character Are mere Sunset Boulevard hallucinations Tricking us in ‘n’ out of friendships. Anyhow, she gave up her living of first impressions And took to the streets busking with songs of segways, Medleys of the middle where truth has time to breathe. Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here. Support the show Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below. If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact: Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected] Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected] Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected] General inquiries: [email protected] Head to our website for all of the latest news. Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online. Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website. Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear Listen and watch on YouTube today. Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout. Thank you for listening!