Alan Catlin- Three Poems

Eating Up

He looked

as if he'd

given all

of his blood

at the office

There was

nothing left

of him but

some rotten

skin and

bones

He was a

dead man

all the way

and surly

as hell

about it

too

Sat scowling

and drinking

his scotch

ignoring all

of the doctor's

orders

He was so

pale and

nasty

I almost

asked him

what was

eating him

up anyway?

Big Cat

She had

those dark

tropic island

eyes that

stared right

through you

into the lush

screaming

night

Liked to

think she

could have

your heart

just by

asking

for it

Liked to

hiss between

clenched

teeth

before she

pounced

Smiling

He was

always

smiling

as if

the world

was a real

swell place

He was a

walking

Ambassador

of Good Will

Man

He had an

Oak Leaf

Cluster

for all

the happiness

he was

spreading

around

like phony

twenty dollar

bills