The following poems are taken from Luigi Moneferrante’s new collection entitled:
Stiletto
Heels
And a Pork Pie Hat
On the Road Again
The door of the camper opens
Out jump Billy, Bob & Suzy
Pull out their pee-pees
The boys do
While Suzy pulls up her skirt
By the side of the road
Looks like rain
The clouds near
And the wind is a-blowing
We’ll hit a storm
In the camper
They run
Wash their hands
Of the dirt
They sit at the table
And read a book
Their mom is gone
I pull from the road
Don’t know where to go
She was our home.
Dancing in the Rain
I walk you home
carrying books you never open
a dancer
you are
and want to sing
in shows on Broadway
you’ve seen them all
the musicals on DVD
and you tip, tap and fly
from sidewalk to street
with all grace and technique of a diva
and what technique!
your sense of time…
dead wrong.
You Pick Yourself Up and Go
We grew up on a farm
When the drought hit
The barn burnt down
The rains turned to flood
With no tears to shed
And work to do
You pick yourself up
And went
Out west
It was
A fast-food joint
Scraping grease for a trade
Dirt from the plates
Running meals to rooms
At the back of the lanes
Men and their wives
But not their own
You changed the sheets
Unclogged toilets
Wiped some blood from the walls
And there’s a spot
On the ceiling
In school
It was tough
Working ‘til late
And where is your homework?
With grease on the math
And ketchup on physics
I hate to tell you, miss,
It’s blood from a killing
She calls you a liar
You swear it’s true
Your knees on chick peas
If you move from that corner
This ruler
It’s wood
You pick yourself up
And go
Off to college
And Science
Where there’s no bull
It’s fact that I want
Don’t call me liar
Now I’m back on the farm
This time for good
I listen to folks
They all complain
I go home
And read by page three
I wake up at four
And walk to my room
The kids are in bed
My wife
She snores
I walk to the kitchen
Pour some milk in the pot
‘cause she likes it warm
I stand by the door
Don’t know what to do
Have some thoughts in my head
I’m ashamed to admit
If I had a gun
I’d shoot them dead
But I serve her the milk
Prepare the kids toast
Give them a hug
and a kiss
They’re off to school
I pick myself up and
Go
And I went
Luigi Monteferrante’s most recent poetry has been published in:
Neon, Forma Fluens, Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, Poesia/Indiana Bay, Motel 58, Word Slaw, poetryfriends, , kudos, Sonar4, Poet’s Ink Review, The Battered Suitcase/Vagabondage Press, Happy, Twisted Tongue, Danse Macabre, Language &Culture, Kritya, Burst Now, Yellow Mama, greenbeard, Glass Poetry Journal, Wow, Orbis, Faraway Journal, riverbabble, Blueprint Review.
Short stories in: Chicago Quarterly Review (2); Happy; Taylor Trust.
DISCOGRAPHY: http://www.cdbaby.com/all/mcmonty
MUSIC LINKS:
GANG OF TOLSTOY
Manufacturers of Music for the Savant-Garde
www.myspace.com/gangoftolstoy
ITALIAN JAZZ ARMADA
www.myspace.com/italianjazzarmada
MCMONTY
Gritty Music & Streetwise Poetics
www.myspace.com/mcmontylive