Mark Herr

STILL FRESH AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

I am in the crime scene photos,
Carefully watching from the loading dock.
Watching the men go about their routine,
Which, for me, is all virgin territory.
The body is someone I knew,
Just not well.
On sight, really.
And he was gunned down
In front of friends of mine.
They are not in the crime scene photos.
But, I watch, out of curiosity.
And after they have moved the body,
I watch the cop drop a small bucket of water,
To hopefully wash away the last of the man.
It doesn't really work.
There are images burned into our brains
That will last a lifetime.


Mark's YouTube reading of "Still Fresh After All These Years"


Mark confesses: "Long story short: Late 80's, I was working at a warehouse in the suburbs of Baltimore. Surrounded by self-storage units. Drugs found in a tenant's unit. Things spiraled and the manager got gunned down in front of my coworkers and customers. And yes, I am in the crime scene photos."


MARK HERR is "nobody you would know. Some day, he will do something about that. Maybe today. In the meantime, he posts poems much lighter in nature, every day on Instagram @marklherr He grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, but sometimes, life from The Wire spills out into the county."