Rusty Barnes

PUNK

I knew your lock would fit no key,
that you could not be refereed,

by the way you kicked the soccer ball,
down and up the schoolhouse hall,

the punk-rock kid who couldn't sit
still or even give a rounded shit

about the things the teacher said.
Instead of listening you fled

and leapt across the school bus full
and knifed a boy across his skull,

then took him by his hairy head,
stabbed the fucker's throat till dead,

then calmly sat down in your seat
until the cops came down the street,

grabbed you roughly by the shirt,
and slammed your head into the dirt.


Rusty reads "Punk":



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Rusty confesses: "'Punk' began with a photo of a girl, who reminded me of the comic Tank Girl. I titled the as-yet-unwritten poem: 'The Girl Who Looks Like Tank Girl'. My wife told me that title sucked. Then I called it 'Punk Rock Girl', and continued to not write the poem. Then I shortened it to 'Punk', and found the poem."

RUSTY BARNES is a crime writer, editor and poet living in Revere MA. You can find his latest books of poetry at http://nixesmate.pub/books/. He maintains webspace at www.friedchickenandcoffee.com.