Rusty Truck editor Scot Young nominated “east of town” for a Pushcart Prize in 2024
east of town
keep staring at my bank account like
one crazy summer and that damn
radio contest
ashtray brimming over and
the slumlord will never know the difference
unless the number don’t spike with a
deposit soon
you know the drill?
the therapist says it’s
my symptoms
that do it
keep me wrapped this tight
but i say it’s the carma bums
and their tales of the open roads
deserted highways
lost generations…
chasing ghosts
like the one i see in my kitchen
or out in the canyon
who knows
when it finally hits i think i’ll
go for a drive
east of town
out on the gravel roads
nothing there but the cholla
and a parallel track running train
saying bye for now sweetheart
bye for now
from SpaceTime Continuum for Dummies (Gutter Snob Books) by Michele McDannold
origin of casual
(burn this one)
the poem where he
meets her
on a bench
at a place
we will never
learn to pronounce
correctly
the walls
drenched in
gasoline–
a lighter
he hands to her.
here you go,
sugar.
burn this one
——————————————————————-
show me
this climate to another
time zone
does the news
& weather report
wreck your hair a different
product placement
at 3am
last week we played
telephone
and the strings
they seared
to your lover’s eyebrows
and i
lost in the skydrive
lost in the ether
of words at trainstops
pics or it didn’t happen
pics or it didn’t happen
from Stealing the Midnight from a Handful of Days (Punk Hostage Press) by Michele McDannold …
Not Recommended
this poetry is not recommended
for the young or bright-eyed
not recommended
for those weak in the stomach
or head
i might use the words
nigger
fag
or retarded
and will definitely use the word
cunt
this poetry is not recommended
for the high-brow
sissified
punk bitches
who would turn a phrase
just to make you feel stupid
poetry is not recommended (period)
if you want to bury your head in the sand
and pretend the world is dying under corruption
we have a voice
this poetry is not recommended
for twitter or myface
you cannot like it
or share it in less than 140 characters
this poetry is not recommended
for NBC
definitely not the Disney channel
we’ve got balls in our face
and dirt in our shoes
hot shit
red blood
cum stains on the inside pocket
there’s a line in the sand that says go fuck yourself
anyone can do this
with enough guts and blaze
to set your ass on fire
“Not Recommended” was previously published in Modus Operandi zine.
——————————————————————-
So white trash
i’m doing my best
to ignore the kids
but they are not cooperating
there is no peace
no quiet
there are only
moments of reprieve
when I can sink into the word
fall into a radiohead song
or two
or three
four or five
on loop
i’m a nervous mess
you are out of reach
and need more and more
to fill this new void
so I have
Jack Daniel’s,
cigarettes,
coffee,
weed,
writing, writing, writing
the love letters
will remain
unsent
the confessions
will stay locked up
hiding in the bathroom
sucking down a one-hitter
“So White Trash” was previously published at Zygote in my Coffee.
——————————————————————-
And now she goes by some other name
trina was
the skinniest girl
i had ever seen
hip bones
sticking out
pale,
yellowish skin
and terrible hair
but she had a kindness
and mystical way about her
that was captivating
for a while
she was wiccan
a couple times
a Buddhist
and always
with the tarot cards
she took me to my first
rocky horror picture show
we formed a coven
the boys brought flowers
mowed the lawn
wrote poems
sketches,
long into the night
acid trips in the park
and no need
for explanations
the worst and most harmful
was her multiple personality disorder
i never really did buy it
it didn’t really matter though
after the third abortion
when she told me
“i went into the bathroom
when he was done.
took that condom out of the trash
and shoved it up there.”
one could fairly say
her mind broke then
in some abortion clinic
out west
where he held her hand
watching the light fade
right out of her
“And now she goes by some other name” was previously published at Cultural Weekly.
Ppigpenn nominated “And now she goes by some other name” for a Pushcart Prize in 2013.