Alan Catlin- Three Poems

Natural Selection

I don’t think

I was ever on an

actual date until

I was 25.

Even in high school

we did the natural

selection thing:

craft beers, home

grown and let nature

take its course.

Someone was always

the last one left but

they were rarely

left out completely.

It was all very basic,

maybe even crude

but it worked.

When someone

actually asked me out,

I didn’t know what

to do. It was kind

of a revelation;

“So this is what

dating is all about!”

I kind of liked it.

Even thought I’d try

it again some time.

Like when I was 40.

                                                1 Y

                                                He said

                                                he had a

                                                metal plate in

                                                his head

                                                compliments

                                                of the V- Et- Kong

                                                and was damn

                                                proud of it

                                                Hated long

                                                haired Commie

                                                weirdos who beat

                                                the draft and went

                                                to places like

                                                college and didn't

                                                care who knew it!

                                                Thought I looked

                                                like one of those

                                                shifty types

                                                he didn't like

                                                I said I was

                                                one of those 1 Y

                                                crazies "A classic

                                                unstable personality"

                                                The Doctor had said

                                                Bad chemicals  I said

                                                They could go off

                                                any minute so don't

                                                mess with my head

                                                Which was Ok fine

                                                with him  He'd seen

                                                a lot of crazies

                                                during the war and

                                                he knew the terrible

                                                kinds of things

                                                they could do

                                                Self Portrait

                                                "You still look

                                                like a kid"

                                                He said

                                                "I've known you

                                                ten years and you

                                                haven't aged a day

                                                I ought to be

                                                ashamed of how

                                                much older I look

                                                while you just

                                                stay the same"

                                                I said

                                                "I'm the picture

                                                of Dorian Gray

                                                Inside I'm

                                                corroding  eaten

                                                up by whiskey

                                                and disease

                                                One of these days

                                                like Bowie in

                                                The Hunger you

                                                can watch me age

                                                a hundred years

                                                inside of five

                                                minutes"

                                                He laughed

                                                I guess he thought

                                                I was kidding