Hearse Driving Man

 

Hearse Driving Man

By Mushroom Montoya

 

 

Grief has been sitting in our driveway.

I hear his engine running.

His car's pistons vibrate

In my gut,

 

Shaking tears

Out of my eyes

While I do all I can

To ignore the hearse driving man.

I go and stand outside

Our front room door

Pointing my accusing finger,

Go away.

He lowers his black tinted window

Music flows out to my ears,

Memory, from the musical, Cats

Lets me know

He isn't going anywhere.

 

I send a hammer smashing curse

To slam and squash his cold-hearted hearse

Into tiny, whiney, smithereens.

But it is all to no avail.

 

My hammer is just a useless wish

Making me want to yell and scream

At my inability to make him disappear

And stay away forever.

 

He turns up the volume

On his cursed hearse’s radio

Playing Josh Groban’s

To Where You Are.

 

And then he flings a bloody hatchet

Out of his dark hearse window

Smacking, cutting, and whacking me

In the middle of my chest.

 

I fall to my knees

Begging please,

Oh please!

Go away!

 

I struggle to stand up.

I turn around

And walk inside.

I shut the door.

 

But try as I might,

The door won’t lock

I kick it hard

Exploding a bomb

 

Full of memories of

Me and our son,

He is in my cradling arms.

Me rocking him slowly back to sleep.

 

And then I weep

Seeing his body

Laying the coffin

While bagpipes blaze

Amazing Grace.

 

Grief revs his engine

I hear it backfire,

Knocking me down

Into my own pool of tears.

Audio Link

Rooster Challenge

 

                                https://pixabay.com/images/search/rooster/

Rooster Challenge

 

I sit on the wooden step. 

My teeth are clenched.

I squint my eyes, 

Looking for an opportunity.

 

The huge red rowdy rooster 

Marches guard patrol,
Bobbing his head,

Warning me to stay far away.

 

His cruel callous eyes cut almost

As sharply as his razor-sharp beak

That made me shriek

When he flew onto my face,

 

Biting and tearing my flesh apart,

Scarring my head and arms forever,

Teaching me never to meddle

In a blustering rooster’s business. 

 

But I can’t stay sitting 

On this silly splintery stoop.

I’ve got to run to the outhouse. 

I’ve really got to poop.

 

Why won’t he leave

And go into his coup

And protect the baby chicks,

So, I can get off this stoop?

 

I stare at the rusty wire fence

Surrounding his chicken domain,

Remembering that fateful morning

When I smiled happily holding 

 

A couple of baby chicks,

Who were so soft and cute,

When all of a sudden, he screamed

As he crashed and slashed into my face.

 

My legs are twitching.

My bladder is filling up.

I stand and watch and secretly beg,

“Please, go away.”

 

Wow! He shakes his wobbly wattle,

And puffs out his feathery red wings.

He lifts his head and crows

As he struts along the rows

 

Of flowers leading the way to his coup.

I have my chance.
I mustn’t wait.

I really have to poop.

 

Salt Spray Invitations

 

Salt Spray Invitations

By Mushroom Montoya

 

La Mar sends me salt spray

Invitations,

Love notes for my nose

To read.

 

Sunshine sparkles on tree leaves

All around me.

Wind shakes them and pretends

They are white gloved wavelets,

 

Beckoning me to

Dance on the seashore,

Barefooted and

Barelegged,

 

So, La Mar can hug me,

And soothe

My broken heart.

 

Salty moist breezes

Whisper her song,

"I didn't feed all his ashes

To the fish and clams.

 

I saved a few.

Come to me

With an open heart.

I shall place his smile

Deep inside you."

 

Salty tears slide over my cheeks,

Onto my bare feet.

My toes twitch and whine.

They prefer saltwater

From the sea,

 

Rather than the salt laden grief,

Pouring out of me.

 

To La Mar I'll go

To be soothed and blessed.

To say hello to our son

Forever swimming

With La Mar.