"Goosepimples of Death," "The Shooting Never Stops," and "One Shot for the Record"
Goosepimples of Death
Take another look over your shoulder
at the great mushroom blooming in the sky,
like a thundercloud warped by jets,
or some kind of UFO rising
out of a hollow earth to devour
the back streets and back talk—
all that’s left of the meat eaters
and the monster trucks—
Going for glory ain’t as easy
as it used to be, back when
Evel Kneivel broke his bones
for you, thrilling your hides
with goosepimples of death
and another flash of stars
and stripes and chrome
Here it comes now, blowing
like a hopped up whore
so close to popping the big one,
like a politician fights
for pork on the stock market
floor; and where are the heroes
now, when the glass is broken?
Jumping the rails and heading
for the horizon with all the rest,
throwing down hope at the feet
of civilization; no winds of change
can repair straw houses,
or put the fire back in its bomb
when the plunger drops
from the lips of fools
The Shooting Never Stops
a leaky faucet sprays bullets
around the room like a handgun
aiming for nobody
but hitting everything;
everything all wet with blood
soaking the floors, rising up
and running out the windows
like a cry for help,
like smoke from a fire,
like a mind blown
by a world that can’t
seem to keep its shots
to itself
the walls are wet,
and the streets are wet;
not a dry eye in the house;
bullets in the sheet rock
and the brain pan, locked
up there where they can
do the thinking;
bullets have no brains
of their own, no connection
to the nervous system,
and their relationship
with the heart is like fire:
burning everything
and reaching
for destruction
One Shot for the Record
You never
forget the feel of a jockstrap
stretched across your ass.
They’re not going to kill
you, no matter how
much you beg.
Life’s not like playing a golf game.
Golf’s always the same thing,
every time. It’s just one shot
more or less.
You can grab all the horror you want,
or roll over and go back
to sleep.
![Jeff Bagato Jeff Bagato](https://www.unlikelystories.org/sites/default/files/Bagato-headshot-vertical.jpg)
A multi-media artist living near Washington, DC, Jeff Bagato produces poetry and prose as well as electronic music and glitch video. He has published nineteen books, all available through the usual online markets, including Savage Magic (poetry) and Kill Claus! (fiction). A blog about his writing and publishing efforts can be found at http://jeffbagato.com. Jeff recommends supporting Angry Old Man Magazine.