The butcher

1.

The butcher cooks corn in gobs of hot bacon fat exploded my eyes an American obsession pig bodies crisped brown kernels flesh worship meat worship pig worship on Sundays across the plains of America what happens to a nine year old boy who kills a buck with a rifle in autumn a nine year old boy dressed in army camo from Walmart his first kill does a nine year old boy wear that blood taught guns taught death taught removing the buck's skin taught draining the blood given a sharp sturdy knife did the boy prop the buck on its back did the boy place two large rocks under the buck’s shoulders and two large rocks under the buck's hips did the boy slit the buck's skin and peel it back did the boy worship Meat Jesus red blood boy red blood American red blood America bleeding out black tongues thrust did the boy eat the buck's eyes to see Meat Jesus did the boy eat the buck's heart did the boy eat the heart mouth body is the buck the meat are the buck’s eyes the meat is the buck's heart exploded his uneaten wasted heart is the nine year old boy the butcher the proud father or the flung raw heart are the boy’s fingers bullets is meat easier now is killing easier now is praise everlasting in the boy's plastic brain

2.

I live under the world’s true skin sweet let me sing for wine at nine whiskey at ten mother speed at eleven cocaine at twelve listen sugar listen to the alcohol in my blood my eyes are rotting peaches I drown each day in the Spokane River I drown on Glass Street I drown at Saint Anthony’s I do violence to myself in Spokane a coffin factory slap me awake I’m dying in ripe alleys in shuttered houses in bright factories I’m dying in gymnasiums I’m dying in concert halls stop me sugar stop me hey sugar just a glass of wine oh please just a line just the crunch of oxy between my teeth slap me sugar I’m dying in hotel rooms in banks in malls in grocery stores in schools in restaurants in cars in parks in hospitals slap me give me one more line sugar one more drink I’ve never been so thin so beautiful my bones shoot away from my hips my bones break inside my hands my bones slice my shoulders open I’m dying oh sugar I’m drowning in meetings twelvestepping through America slap me sugar I have done violence unto myself I ate the grape the priest the host oh sugar I have done violence unto myself slap me awake I’m dying under your strap your heel I have done violence unto myself this little war of mine I’m gonna let it shine

let it shine let it shine let it shine