Catfish McDaris

Catfish McDaris’
most infamous chapbook is Prying with Jack Micheline and Charles Bukowski. He’s from Albuquerque and Milwaukee. His newest books are Ghosts of the War Elephants and Meat Grinder.

And Her Eyes Made Love to Him

They ran barefoot through the yucca,
prickly pear, goat head stickers, and
mesquite like a monster was after them

Sniper told her he loved her, his heart
was destroyed, limping away, she shot
him the finger, he wondered if it was

His intelligence quotient or hers, she
was pissed, earlier they’d been shopping
for new panties for her and an umbrella

A six year old boy was with his attractive
mother, they walked by a well endowed
mannequin in an aquatic avocado bikini

He jerked the bottom of the suit to the
floor, Sniper cracked up laughing and
blurted out, “Way to go, little man.”

He grabbed the half-dressed dummy and
sprinted from the store, a fat security
guard gave chase, Valentina and Sniper

Lost their sandals, he circled back for
their El Camino, the cops were waiting
with steel bracelets, he hoped it would

Be for a short visit and his lady would
have pity and go his bail, and let him
pay for and keep his newest amiga.

People Never Walk Faster than Earth’s Orbit

A sun darkened lady rode a mustang
up a crooked, broken road and got lost in
contemplation, where nothing is impossible

In nature: war, love, loneliness, hurt, tears,
laughter, or politics just don’t matter
the Adobe Walls absorbed bullets because

Of death battles fought by men over land,
the land owns the man, enjoy the Painted
Desert, the Grand Canyon, Joshua trees

Live in adobe dwellings, relish the Gilman
Canyon tunnels, the Petrified Forest, jack
rabbits, antelope, buffalo, diamond backs

Acoma Sky City, the towering Sequoias,
eat from the Saguaro cactus, count the stars,
history is the petroglyphs on cave walls.

 

Tourniquet of Love

Drinking the witches tea,
the moon was orange and
turned upside down, there
were palpitations below the
Equator down near Quito

She said, “Step right up,
young blood and test your
luck,” with her crooked grin

Sniper wondered why all the
trains seemed to come his way
when his bags were packed, it
was the forever story of his life.