because
when it comes
it comes like a mack truck
and i don’t have the strength
to plant my heels
firmly in the dirt
and slow it down
and i don’t want it to pass on by
so my only choice
is to stick out my thumb
jump in
and ride along
with this shady methed-out
truck driver
until one of us
is ready to kill the other
because
when it comes
it comes like a great woman
and i’m usually and inconveniently drunk
so i ask her to dance
in a loud room
where maybe she won’t notice my slurring
and i wear my cologne thick
so maybe she won’t smell
the booze on my breath
and the dance never lasts long
and usually
i end up taking a cab home
and usually
she goes her own separate way
but sometimes
she comes with me
and we spend the night together
tossed in madness and revelation
because
when it comes
it comes like shock therapy
and in the pain
the swelling of the temples
the shaking of the muscles
the boiling of blood cells
sometimes
there is a moment of strong breath
where some ghost escapes
and someone else sees it
and them and me
will always have that
even if i’m not all there
because
when it comes
it comes like a letter bomb
and i could just throw it away
never open it
and the truth is
if i did that
i would be fine
but time and again
i play russian roulette
i do what’s worst for me
i open the letter
i inhale the toxins
i remind myself
that i am not god
and i am reasonably sure
that god would not be himself
if any of us
were ever considerate enough
to give him a choice
in the matter
COPYRIGHT BRICE MAIURRO 2012
Love this Brice, couldn’t have said it better myself. Reblog time
Reblogged this on Souls ascending and commented:
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Thanks a lot!
Excellent work Brice!!
wonderful.
Thank you.
you are most welcome, thank you!
Thanks, Mike.
Because when it comes you can’t think of a single thing you have to do except write it down.
Wonderful writing, Brice. Thank you visiting my blog.
Thanks, Debra. =)
I really love this. I only wish poetry would hit me like a Mack truck too. It comes in the form of a song instead.
I think that’s why there’s no formula for how to write, or how to fight writer’s block for that reason. Everyone is inspired in very different ways.
This is the best goddamn poem I’ve read in a while. I hate most contemporary poetry and its modern poseur cult of personality proselytizers (I’m looking at at you, Billy Collins and Poetry magazine), but this poem hits you in the gut like a shot of vodka and a lifetime of madness. This is pure unfiltered art. This is punk and anarchy in the face of the corporate machine. Good job, keep it up! Cheers, Mr. Miurro!
Wow, that’s a ten dollar compliment if I’ve ever gotten one. Thank you!
That’s all I can afford. I need the rest for beer
I. Just. Love. You!!! This is awesome!
Liss! I thought you disappeared!
Of course not! I’m sorta, kinda lost right now…but, you are stuck with me! Your updates are the only ones I read.
Aw, thanks. I saw your shout out on twitter. I’ll check it out in a bit. I just got done driving from San Francisco to Denver.
Well, I said I was gonna do it a while ago..I stepped of my funk for a little bit today and blogged..oh, and I figured out how to put a link in my page! Hope you had a safe trip!
Love it, love it!
Thank you, thank you!
Terrific imagery in that poem Brice. Thanks for sharing.
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The usual high standard of grit, Brice. makes me feel like hitting the keys harder!!!
Thanks, Julia.
Really enjoyed reading your poetry, Brice. I’ve been writing and reading poetry a long, long time. Most of the stuff that gets published is crap. You’re sincere, heartfelt, and honestly expressive with refreshing language and style. I’m gonna’ have to stop back by and read some more when I have time. Bookmarked. You should try your hand at scriptwriting some time, too. It’s grueling and a nasty business, but your style lends to it. Thanks for the writes and the follow.
fjl
Screenwriting terrifies me. Thanks for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed my stuff. Can I ask why you think I’d be good at screenwriting?
Wow, really super Brice! I’m honored that someone as yourself would deign to follow my blog
I really like the way you write these pithy, hard-hitting lines with such vivid imagery. Keep up the great work!
Thanks a lot! Glad to have connected.
Reblogged this on Renato Vasconcellos David and commented:
This is excepionally brilliant
because
when it comes
it comes like a mack truck
and i don’t have the strength
to plant my heels
firmly in the dirt
and slow it down
and i don’t want it to pass on by
so my only choice
is to stick out my thumb
jump in
and ride along
with this shady methed-out
truck driver
until one of us
is ready to kill the other
WOW WOW WOW
Wow. Thank you. =)
This is awesome!
Thank you, Sharon!
This is fantastic
Thank you!
That’s why I write poetry”) didn’t realise it until I read yours
WOW, great poem
I like the form and how you wrote it as if someone asked you the question and you’re finding the perfect words to answer them. It lends honesty and a conversational flow to the poem… Spontaneous eloquence, which is always a nice surprise in this art form that is now often pretentious. Can’t wait to read more of your poems
-Sari
It all seems so clear now!
Sounds great. Poetry should always be a performance art
Thank you! On a side note, I don’t know your name?
I had decided not to broadcast it over the blog, but my last name is on my photos
Oh, gotcha. That’s cool! Anyways, thanks for always commenting!
Excellent! Especially the ending! I must say, it was cool hearing you read it aloud. that is very cool. Great job!
Very gritty and forward. Unacademic. A good one to introduce others, such as myself, to your work. Thanks for following me, and I look forward to reading your work in the future, man.
Thanks a lot! If you get a chance, let me know what you think of the one I just posted, “where have you gone to, America?”
Great poem. Love when it comes and everything else stops dead in its tracks.
Thank you!
Thank you for visiting my blog. I’m enraptured by your work here – the setting of the blog, layout, presentation, and in no small measure, your poetic prowess! Mack truck, all the way… it is very different from my style… all the more reason for me to admire and enjoy it – immensely. Be sure I’ll be dropping by more often in the coming year 2013.
Have a great one there… and keep regaling your readers and fans
Nicely done. Thanks for sharing, and for following my site!
Happy New Year,
Jack
Wow! That’s a rather unique topic to write a poem anout ^_^
I really like how you have begun your stanzas with the same word.