Tom Hatch- A Poem

Battling a Chain Link Fence in August

 

She called me two overly hot days ago

Left me a message on my cell in melting palms

Honestly I didn’t want to speak to her

 

She left me another message on my sweaty phone

Yesterday. "Thanks for calling me back" (steamy sarcasm)

"Why didn’t you call me back"? (Sheepish melted chocolate bars)

 

She got me on a third call this morning blistering finger tips

"I didn’t get any messages from you, what day was it" I said (dead hot deceit) perspiration dripping from my nose

 

"Two days ago and yesterday" she said coolly 

 

"Thursday or smothering Friday my battery went dead"

I said

 

"I called you on Friday"

She said

 

"Yes, yes it was fiery Friday" (fiery lie)

I said

Silence! A siren passes out the window chasing

A victim of heat prostration 

 

I was sweating a round of ammo think like an old gatling gun

"Then I got into an accident with a chain link fence

It chased me into a steeplechase

And managed to get too close 

Then it was in front of me so I hit it

It held me down on the ground for two sizzling days

So I couldn't even have called you

Even if my battery hadn't died anyway" (blazing overkill)

I panicked watered down blood 

 

She never called me again

Which was fine with me 

The temperature dropped a little.

Tom paid his dues in the SoHo art scene way back when. He was awarded two NEA grants for sculpture back then. And taught at various colleges and universities in the NYC metro area in art (including Princeton and U of Penn. in Philly). He feels is a regular at The Camel Saloon and BoySlut. He has published at The Mind[less] Muse, Jellyfish Whispers, Napalm and Novocain, Dead Snakes, Rusty Truck and Pyrokinection among others. He has recently had a poem nominated for The Best on The Net. He lives in CT with a few farms up and down the road works in Manhattan. His train ride to and from NYC is his solace, study and den where it all begins and ends.