Thursday, May 26, 2016

Alan Catlin- Three Poems


Royalty

She was
the queen
and he was
the king
They had
more money
between them
than God
and they
thought if
they spent
some of it
for me
I might be
impressed
might even
kneel down
and kiss
their rings


Cyclists

When they
were younger
they used
to kid
each other
about sniffing
girl's bicycle
seats as if
they'd never
done it
Would look
at you as
if you were
some little
kid
who thought
a piece of
ass was
a donkey's
hide
Talked about
women the way
butcher's talk
about meat
Said they'd
make all
the fillies
dance on the
heads of their
pins
Talked as if
they weren't
worried
about getting
it up
like they
used to


Mad Dog

He was kind
of janitor
in a drum
or something
Had false
teeth that
didn't fit
right
Kept sliding
them forward
in his mouth
as he drank
Kept clanking
them against
his glass
Kept ordering
draught beers
and sliding
the exact
change
across the bar
as if I couldn't
count
Sat sucking
his gums
as he drank
Licked the foam
from his lips
any second
the wild
dog in him
was going to
get out


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