Four by Todd Moore

waco grabbed

fuller's hat & threw
it to me & fuller
sd you'd better give
it back & waco went
up to the old man
like he was abt
to give the old
man a slap upside
the head fuller
hooked a knife in
to waco's right
leg & he went oh
mama while i
dropped the hat
when fuller picked
it up & put it
back on he sd never
fuck w/a man's hat
waco was still bent
over when fuller
winked at me & sd
he ain't gonna
die but he'll be
walking real funny

- originally appeared in Lummox Journal Vol. 6, No. 4, 2000

#

rocko & lonnie each had

a dead man propped in the
back of the pickup parked
behind smitty's salvage
waiting for someone to
come for the corpses &
while they were waiting
lonnie started moving his
dead man's mouth & say
ing stuff so you think
yr a smart guy he sez
sounding a little like
curly of the 3 stooges &
it made rocko laugh &
he started doing it too
& the mouth on his wasn't
even stiff but the whis
kers were matted & when
he opened it up some
scabs wd fall out & he
pretended they were
words & sez you wanna
make something of it
& curly really did look
like he was whooping
except his eyes wdn't
move

- originally appeared in Asylums & Labyrinths, 1997

#

the day after

they got sonny at
the corner of
3rd & colorado
jake & i went down
to welty's garage
to see the car
old man welty
rolled a wet
stogie around in
his mouth sd it's
the green ply
mouth out back
all i ask is you
don't fuck w/any
thing there was
nothing to fuck
w/except 3 bullet
holes thru the
windshield jake
opened the door
& brushed all the
glass off the
seat before
sitting down
then he lit a
cigaret took
a long drag &
sd i can taste
death in the
smoke

- originally appeared in Asylums & Labyrinths, 1997

#

collins sd mona

can make her pussy bark
like a dog i smiled &
sd bullshit so when she
came out of the hotel's
back door collins
waved her over is it
still 5 bucks to
show us yr pussy she
grinned & we went
around the side of
the shed where she
pulled her pants down
i was holding the money
& she sd that's the
bank make yr deposit
the crotch of her
panties was dark
w/shit tracks now
collins sd make it
bark like a dog so she
put her hand inside
the hair got hold of
her pussy & moved the
lips while she was
doing the barking see
i sd she gave me a
look jesus the meat
does the work
you have to pretend

- originally appeared in Asylums & Labyrinths, 1997