John Grey
Open Readings
From hell on earth to open readings–
that’s the route I took.
From flame to a beer cellar,
a steamy room to a gathering of the east side clan.
No fame,
just one of the crazies, old hippies,
young college kids, a few strays
from different scenes.
From a searing heart to a cold microphone,
a burning chair to a makeshift stage.
Between a guy who
broke into barbaric yawps
and a woman so thin
she qualified as an endangered species–
I’d struggle to convince the crowd
that the blisters weren’t fake
and that the scorched flesh they could smell was mine.
I’d go home,
my despondency little encouraged.
I’d press my hand against the door,
wait until I felt the heat from within,
and then enter.
that’s the route I took.
From flame to a beer cellar,
a steamy room to a gathering of the east side clan.
No fame,
just one of the crazies, old hippies,
young college kids, a few strays
from different scenes.
From a searing heart to a cold microphone,
a burning chair to a makeshift stage.
Between a guy who
broke into barbaric yawps
and a woman so thin
she qualified as an endangered species–
I’d struggle to convince the crowd
that the blisters weren’t fake
and that the scorched flesh they could smell was mine.
I’d go home,
my despondency little encouraged.
I’d press my hand against the door,
wait until I felt the heat from within,
and then enter.
John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in Sheepshead Review, Poetry Salzburg Review, and Hollins Critic. His latest books Leaves On Pages, Memory Outside The Head, and Guest Of Myself are available through Amazon. His work is forthcoming in Ellipsis, Blueline, and International Poetry Review.