a meat
to soak
our excess
drinking
once
the blur
faded
into smoke
and juices
slathered
all over
the night
(originally published in The Charles Carter, Summer 2020)
chicken
To Rich (From Irie)
Bananas everywhere make me hungry.
The doormat, the neon sign, the sticker
on your Apple– I can’t help it. My
cuteness doesn’t preclude that I am part
wolf. A ruthless hunter. When I run
across the rug to your room I want you
to throw fruit on the floor just to bite off
the peels. I’ve had my eyes on inedible Ethel
the Christmas Chicken when I learned she’s
still a chicken. For once I want a sandwich.
Put me in your cart with a potato gun
at Sam’s and we’ll hold that whole
place up. As you ransack the banana stand,
I’ll loot the deli and meet you in the middle.
(originally published in Jokes Review, Summer 2020)
A Syzygy of Chickens
My horoscope this morning:
You will swallow your pride
to give in to someone else
today, Taurus.
Take a brisk walk
and concentrate on reasons
for obedience.
The stars led me here.
I intended to quit
my job this morning
and found three chickens
in celestial alignment
wandering out
my door.
How wonderful
it would be to walk
and walk out
of town
to wherever the path
ends. Over the ledge
into the greenery
to live off the land
where I would
lay in the grass
and stare into
the night sky
and say
you can’t tell
me what to do.
Light years away
from my current
life. To break
the alignment
of monotonous days
squawking
order
when I want
to be jazz.
A roost of stars
conspiring
light to lead
me back but I’ve
thought and
thought
to find
no good reason.
(originally published in Good Works Review, Winter 2020)
Consuming Raw Chicken
can be severely detrimental, but don’t panic–
salmonella can be killed. You must know
its internal temperature. If not fully known,
your risk of distress increases. The dark tunnel.
The bones. If you suffer from adverse effects,
you will know within seventy-two hours.
Chills, fever, fatigue. Hallucinations.
If there is blood in you, inform your doctor
immediately. He may request a sample
to determine if you are alive, if symptoms
are what you’re even there for.
(originally published in The Blotter Magazine, Summer 2017)