the real burn
pale flame illuminates the ol’ skull’s lamp
this ashen evening waiting for the real
burn to ignite i slouch low on the couch
& slug a strong red ale the dog as black
as Cerberus here snoring at my feet
// what righteous citizens might come to visit
masked intent on breaking down the door
to haul me to the stake then torch the house
// these speculations bubble under blood
moon glow as zeitgeist rides the nightmare mind
the thighs astride a frothing maverick
stubble scrubbrush succulents like rubber
gloves what won’t survive the heat that bug
that stings itself to death it tattoos me
romcom
lit screen who’s looking in who’s looking out
a man & woman talking louder louder
word no world war three begins // the stageset
room too fully furnished knickknacks bric
a brac a ciggie hack a heart attack
a kind of unkind causal chain & every
where emotion goes they find that Freud’s
been there before them // dinner’s cooking not
burned yet fat sugar salt so rare & precious
in the wild but these are tame suburban
folk well trained compliant & of course
insane // oh hothothot the tempers flare
they have a flair for foreplay sheet & towel
spread on the carpet guard against the stains
five cheese tortellini
Trey smells it cooked & tossed in peppered olive
oil hot breath at my elbow takes
a big drink from his metal dish knocks half
the water on the floor // so much like me
& Lear’s Poor Tom oh bless our wits all six
// poor bare forked animal i smell one seventh
of Trey’s world my wife i think fares better
// i could smear myself in filth & sup
on stagnant pools’ skimmed scum descend the ladder
of my kind abase myself snap rungs
to make a blest quest & ascension harder
// up i’d come disguised ennobled future
king but would Trey know me would my wife
reheat the funeral feast for my anointment
Thomas Zimmerman teaches English and directs the Writing Center at Washtenaw Community College, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. His poems have appeared recently in Circle of Salt, Rawhead, and Walrus Protocol Poetry. His latest poetry book is Free Range Angels (Cyberwit, 2025).
Website: https:/thomaszimmerman.wordpress.com