Alan Catlin- Three Poems

Wet Spot 1

All she needed

was a wet spot

on the back of

her way too

short and tight

denim skirt to

complete the goods

as advertised

costume she

was wearing,

no underwear

necessary, her

black, cut to

ventilate Harley

Honey t-shirt-

the only thing

left to the

imagination: where,

when and how much

Wet Spot 2

He looked as

if he'd taken

Billy Bob's

Sling Blade

character way

too close to

heart, slowly

articulating some

obscure need

for something

he'd swear on

a small stack

of Bibles was

potable but

anyone with an

IQ over 79

knew was more

suitable for

inflammatory

purposes like

in a lamp

to read the

Good Book by

After a couple of

futile tries to

talk him out of

his chosen poison

it became much

easier just to

make him what

he seemed to

want and keep

him away from

an open flame

Wet Spot 3

Part of his

BOCES Out

Reach training

must have

included: Stop,

Look and Listen

before crossing

between parked

cars in inches

deep, more falling,

rain and slush,

along heavily

trafficked thorough-

fares though I

wasn't certain

whether the training

had extended to

the best ways to

store, carry and

redeem empty

roadside returnable,

bottles and cans,

sliding through

torn spaces in

worn thin plastic

bags, rolling away

from his grasp

into the path

of Emergency

Vehicles on call

just beyond his

hands, those dull,

dark eyes wide

open, not seeing

what lay in wait