Born in the Year of the Butterfly Knife: 1
Page 14
Over the spokes
And I feel the spokes
I feel ‘em.
And for as long as they remain shut
I am seven and she is nine.
I feel like a cloud, she says.
And I know this is true
for I know the terrible things that go on inside of clouds.
That night drags its nails down the wall
and its sounds like…
THIRTEEN PIECES OF ELECTRICAL TAPE
I hate these numbered poems but I still do it every now and then just to keep my poems in The New Yorker. The girl’s name wasn’t Rebecca. I went on one date with this gal whom I will call Rebecca and nothing happened. Her family called me a few days later to tell me she had tried to kill herself and I had something to do with it. It may sound cold-hearted, but I didn’t go to see her in the hospital when they were sewing her up. I thought it was weak. The rest of the poem just came spilling out after I wrote the Rebecca part. This appeared in Junebug Melatonin.
1.
The average amount of spiders
Someone always swallows in their lifetime
is ten.
I am part of a study
To determine the amount of kisses
dogs attempt to steal from us in our sleep
in a lifetime
but you can’t know the results until I die.
2.
So as I’m pouring sugar all over this woman’s body
She says Ooooo. Nummy nummy.
Pouring sugar all over my tummy. I want more!
And that’s when I pull down the blowtorch mask
And holler ‘Crème brulee!’
3.
Rebecca, there’s something funny about a girl
with dyed black hair
and a scar on each wrist.
I always say ‘Hey, you’re supposed to put perfume there.’
4.
Those little skirts that are really just shorts
with a flap in the front
just piss me off
It’s deceitful and you know it.
5.
The cops are everywhere
and some are wearing uniforms
6.
There will come a night
when the whole world falls asleep
at the same exact moment
and no one will be guarding the banks
or malls
or jewelry shops
and that’s a great time
to sneak into the movies.
if you know how to run a projector.
7.
I lay the same piece of electric tape
over every lover’s mouth.
It isn’t so sticky anymore.
I wish it wasn’t losing its ability to stay.
8.
A kid named Hector said to me
Hey, I got a penny in my shoe.
I asked him if that got a little irritating.
He said, No. They’re lucky pennies, silly.
That’s all I learned from Hector.
9.
So girl.
What do you like to do?
Do? Um, I dunno. Second base, maybe third.
I meant what do you like to here in Long Beach?
Oh. You mean… Oh. Third base.
10.
Mass confusion
might have something to do with Catholicism.
11.
A man buried his imagination yesterday.
I understood why but disagreed.
He said who can sleep
when imagining clearly those final poses,
that infinite stillness?
I need to sleep.
12.
You will not be detected by aircraft radar. Guaranteed.
13.
My Russian jewel.
These hands turn to Sue Bee honey
and my nails flip to reveal pink crescent moons
when I think of our first night together.
Will it be like a tornado of sheets?
or timed with the cadence of drooling candles
and the bass of pile drivers?
Wild enough to embarrass the furniture.
Woman girl, I want to hold you
the way grasshoppers h
old onto their bows.
The way Russia holds all the sad diamonds.
The way sand creatures hold down sailors’ bodies.
The way children hold onto pennies and secrets.
Is it fair to say I might not want to make love on honeymoon night?
Because I might be sore from doing it with you all day
in the train,
under the reception table,
dangling from the helicopter skid like a stuntman from the Kama Sutra,
and in every public restroom we stop at from here
throughout all of North America
cause I’m kinda romantic.
So instead,
that night,
we’ll just have to sit there.
Speak about all the pieces of electrical tape
we ever slept with
and wish we had never touched anyone else.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A POET IN PIECES
Derrick Brown was a paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne. He is ordained to perform weddings. He has been published in 4 countries and has won various international writing awards for his poetry. He was a gondolier in Long Beach, CA, a weatherman in Flagstaff, a magician in California and now lives outside of Nashville Tennessee. He tours the world performing his poems. He writes children’s books and likes to shoot beer cans with a bow and arrow.
Write Bloody Publishing 2011 Lineup
WB 2011 LINEUP
38 BAR BLUES
New poems by C. R. Avery
WORKIN’ MIME TO FIVE
Humor by Derrick Brown
YESTERDAY WON’T GOODBYE
New poems by Brian Ellis
THESE ARE THE BREAKS
New prose & poetry by Idris Goodwin
THE FEATHER ROOM
New poems by Anis Mojgani
LOVE IN A TIME OF ROBOT APOCALYPSE
New poems by David Perez
THE UNDISPUTED GREATEST WRITER OF ALL TIME
New poems by Beau Sia
SUNSET AT THE TEMPLE OF OLIVES
New poems by Paul Suntup
GENTLEMAN PRACTICE
New poems by Buddy Wakefield
HOW TO SEDUCE A WHITE BOY IN TEN EASY STEPS
New poems by Laura Yes Yes
THE NEW CLEAN
New poems by Jon Sands
BRING DOWN THE CHANDELIERS
New poems by Tara Hardy
WRITE ABOUT AN EMPTY BIRDCAGE
New poems by Elaina M. Ellis
REASONS TO LEAVE THE SLAUGHTER
New poems by Ben Clark
Other Write Bloody Books
OTHER WRITE BLOODY BOOKS
EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING (2010)
New poems by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz
DEAR FUTURE BOYFRIEND (2010)
A Write Bloody reissue of Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s first book of poetry
HOT TEEN SLUT (2010)
A Write Bloody reissue of Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s second book of poetry
about her time writing for porn
WORKING CLASS REPRESENT (2010)
A Write Bloody reissue of Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s third book of poetry
OH, TERRIBLE YOUTH (2010)
A Write Bloody reissue of Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s fourth book of poetry
about her terrible youth
CATACOMB CONFETTI (2010)
New poems by Josh Boyd
THE BONES BELOW (2010)
New poems by Sierra DeMulder
CEREMONY FOR THE CHOKING GHOST (2010)
New poems by Karen Finneyfrock
MILES OF HALLELUJAH (2010)
New poems by Rob “Ratpack Slim” Sturma
RACING HUMMINGBIRDS (201
0)
New poems by Jeanann Verlee
YOU BELONG EVERYWHERE (2010)
Road memoir and how-to guide for travelling artists
LEARN THEN BURN (2010)
Anthology of poems for the classroom. Edited by Tim Stafford and Derrick Brown.
STEVE ABEE, GREAT BALLS OF FLOWERS (2009)
New poems by Steve Abee
SCANDALABRA (2009)
New poetry compilation by Derrick Brown
DON’T SMELL THE FLOSS (2009)
New Short Fiction Pieces By Matty Byloos
THE LAST TIME AS WE ARE (2009)
New poems by Taylor Mali
IN SEARCH OF MIDNIGHT: THE MIKE MCGEE HANDBOOK OF AWESOME (2009)
New poems by Mike McGee
ANIMAL BALLISTICS (2009)
New poems by Sarah Morgan
CAST YOUR EYES LIKE RIVERSTONES INTO THE EXQUISITE DARK (2009)
New poems by Danny Sherrard
SPIKING THE SUCKER PUNCH (2009)
New poems by Robbie Q. Telfer
THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT AMERICA (2009)
An illustrated, un-cynical look at our American Landscape. Various authors.
Edited by Kevin Staniec and Derrick Brown
THE ELEPHANT ENGINE HIGH DIVE REVIVAL (2009)
Anthology
THE CONSTANT VELOCITY OF TRAINS (2008)
New poems by Lea C. Deschenes
HEAVY LEAD BIRDSONG (2008)
New poems by Ryler Dustin
UNCONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS IN FREEDOM (2008)
New poems by Brian Ellis
POLE DANCING TO GOSPEL HYMNS (2008)
Poems by Andrea Gibson
CITY OF INSOMNIA (2008)
New poems by Victor D. Infante
WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT IS (2008)
Graphic Art Prose Concept book by Maust of Cold War Kids and author Paul Maziar
OVER THE ANVIL WE STRETCH (2008)
New poems by Anis Mojgani
NO MORE POEMS ABOUT THE MOON (2008)
NON-Moon poems by Michael Roberts
JUNKYARD GHOST REVIVAL (2008)
with Andrea Gibson, Buddy Wakefield, Anis Mojgani, Derrick Brown, Robbie Q,
Sonya Renee and Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz
THE LAST AMERICAN VALENTINE:
ILLUSTRATED POEMS TO SEDUCE AND DESTROY (2008)
24 authors, 12 illustrators team up for a collection of non-sappy love poetry.
Edited by Derrick Brown
LETTING MYSELF GO (2007)
Bizarre god comedy & wild prose by Buzzy Enniss
LIVE FOR A LIVING (2007)
New poems by Buddy Wakefield
SOLOMON SPARROWS ELECTRIC WHALE REVIVAL (2007)
Poetry compilation by Buddy Wakefield, Anis Mojgani, Derrick Brown, Dan
Leamen & Mike McGee
I LOVE YOU IS BACK (2006)
Poetry compilation (2004-2006) by Derrick Brown
BORN IN THE YEAR OF THE BUTTERFLY KNIFE (2004)
Poetry anthology, 1994-2004 by Derrick Brown
SOME THEY CAN’T CONTAIN (2004)
Classic poetry compilation by Buddy Wakefield
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Information
Special Thanks
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Opening Epigraph
BORN IN THE YEAR OF THE BUTTERFLY KNIFE
THE KUROSAWA CHAMPAGNE
THE CHINESE ELEVATOR
PUNISH CHILDREN
WALTZING THE HURRICANE
THE SILENT FALL OF NEW YORK CITY
THE DAWN OF WEIRD
WITH THE GUIDANCE OF DOLPHINS
HOW TO FEEL
TO THE LIGHTNING TEACHERS
BLOOD TEST
HOT FOR SORROW
ARMSTRONG
MEDUSA OBLONGATA
COME ALIVE
from UNAPOLOGETICS
THE LABRADOR IS POSED IN THE FREEZER
SGT. PEDERSON WOULD LIKE A WORD WITH YOU
HOW TO LEAVE THE OZARKS
YOU, MY DEAR, ARE A VERY SPECIAL STARFISH
THE ROYAL DOGS OF TEXAS
THE WEAPONS FORMED AGAINST ME
DID PROSPER
NINE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED LIGHT YEARS AWAY
from IF LOVIN’ YOU IS WRONG, THEN I DON’T WANT TO BE WRONG
COMPLETING A DUMB PUZZLE
AQUANAUT
BLOWTORCH SONATA
PLEASED TO MEET YOU YELLOW, MY NAME IS BLUE
CAROLINA
CHERRY
WHY AMELIA EARHEART WANTED TO VANISH
12:55
THE DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE
SPEAKING 12:55 INTO THE STUPID COMPUTER DEVICE
ANGELS THAT LEAK
ALICIA’S SCIENCE VOLUNTEER
SEVEN YEARS TO DIGEST GUM
A FEW THINGS YOU PROBABLY ALREADY NEW ABOUT EMUS
JOIN THE AIRBORNE
THE FIRST TIME YOU HUGGED ME IT WAS WITH YOUR LEFT ARM
TOMB
A FINGER, TWO DOTS, THEN ME
HOW TO KISS THE BOYS AND THE GIRLS: FRENCH AND PROPER!
WHAT I LEARNED IN CHURCH
MISS LAKE MICHIGAN
CURSING JEFF BUCKLEY
SPARKLER
PUSSYCAT INTERSTELLAR NAKED HOTROD MOFO LADYBUG LUSTBLASTER!
QUARTER SLOTROCK
TRIGGER AND HAPPY BELONG TOGETHER
UNSENT
VENTOM
THE WRINKLES UNDER LIPSTICK
A SHORT SONG
THE ABSENCE ANTHOLOGY
CHEAP RENT
LAST NIGHT IN PARIS
A KICK IN THE CHEST
MILLION DOLLAR BUM
BORDER STEALTH
CAPTAIN CREAMS
THE RISE AND FALL OF JULIUS WALKER
from HOSTILE PENTECOSTAL
HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL
from THE JOY MOTEL
SUGARFREE NATIVITY
YOU CAN FEEL NEEDED IN A CASINO WITH ONLY A HUNDRED-POUND BAG OF SODIUM-FREE PRETZELS
AMAZING JIM NUMBER NINE AND SEVEN
THIRTEEN PIECES OF ELECTRICAL TAPE
About the Author
Write Bloody Publishing 2011 Lineup
Other Write Bloody Books
Pull Your Books Up By Their Bootstraps