Catherine Wald

TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME

Taste it.
Tingly to the tongue?
Sour? Bitter?

Take another bite.
Let your palate
mull the dark and
fruity notes.

You never thought
you’d develop a yen
for lawlessness but
now it's growing on
you like a strange
new opera, like a
pop tune.

Admit it: you're starting
to savor the
whiff of danger
frisson of desire
crunch of crisp guilt
between your teeth.

Your new addiction may
prompt you to commit
a timid misdemeanor
or it may drive
you directly
to murder.


Catherine reads "Take a Bite Out of Crime":



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Catherine confesses: "I love to take conventional wisdom and turn it on its head. 'Take a Bite Out of Crime' is a longstanding public advertising campaign featuring McGruff, a hound in a trench coat, who urges people to be good citizens. Other poems in this series include 'If You See Something, Say Something', and 'Arrive Alive'."

CATHERINE WALD is an author and poet with an unimpressive criminal record. Her chapbook, Distant, burned-out stars was published by Finishing Line Press in 2011.