Pet Peeve Jimmy 
reminds people that 
Africa is not a nation, 
so you better watch what you say 
in his presence, 
like the last party he went to, 
some poor woman mentioned 
how she intended to visit Africa in the fall 
and Jimmy pounced on her 
like a lion attacking its prey 
with something along the lines of: 

Listen, lady, Africa is not a nation. 
I mean do you say I’m going 
to visit North America in the fall? 
No, you don’t because 
people wouldn’t stand for it, 
and I am not going to stand for it 
in the case of Africa either. 
So from now on, 
I want to know specifically 
what country you are talking about 
when you refer to Africa, 
got it? 
And that goes for the rest of you as well. 
Now, what were we all talking about? 
Oh yeah, 
my South American vacation.

—From a collection-in-progress of “Jimmy” poems

Bio: Jimmy Pappas