Sunday, April 03, 2022

New Poetry by Paul Tanner










jerk’s circle  

there’s the:
bloated one who eats all the free biscuits
the: chain smoker
the: one who keeps draping a veiny chicken fillet thigh
over your leg
when she’s not blowing kisses at the others
the: one with a new puncture mark on his skinny arms
every time you see him,
long grey spotted arms that shake
the: nail biter
with fingers like bled sausages
the: empty chair
where the guy who keeps doing overtime
would’ve sat
and they all praise jesus
and why? well, why not?
so a long-dead socialist baby coos
as the chicken thigh clenches around yours
like a vice that has goose bumps, as
Melissa, she says “me boyfriend just died”
with a smile
and then there’s
the: you.


- © Paul Tanner 2022


Tanner is barely qualified for minimum wage and he's allergic to cheese for crying out loud. His cat knows your sins.

 

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