when the word is spoken
it files the teeth to a sharp edge
butters the tongue
like morning news
almost always not as sweet
looks at you with doe eyes
a fawn in your arms
until it kicks its way free
an uninvited guest that won’t leave
until it has drained you of all you can say
all that you can imagine is out there
on the table like lines of coke that must
be snorted
all we can do is breathe deep and smell
the rotted with the too sweet
and listen to the drone in the ear
until it has finished speaking
Kevin lives in South Shore Kentucky. His poems have been found at The Lakes, Appalachian Heritage, Praxis magazine, Rockvale Review, The Rye Whiskey Review, Birmingham Arts Journal, Plainsongs ad Coe Review.
He has had recent work published in Dragon Poet Review, Pangolin Review, Constellations and Inkwell Journal and work forthcoming in The Bookends Review and Heartwood Literary Review. Kevin was a finalist for the Mahogany Red Lit Prize.
His work in “Rubicon: Words and art inspired by Oscar Wildes De Profundis” was nominated for a Pushcart prize.