Tennessee
Smyrna is one of those burgs
where the kids dream
of getting away from,
but the tractor boys
usually end up on a John Deere
to match their caps
and the cowgirls work the room
at Déjà Vu in Knoxville
Murfreesboro houses failures
who couldn’t make the grade
down on Music Row
There are always jobs available
at the Nissan plant on Route 10
Clarksville tries to act
like it’s more than a line
from that Monkees song,
but being in tornado country
is nothing to brag about
Memphis paints a romantic picture
of Graceland and Beale Street,
but this ain’t no blues town
it’s closer to the end of the line
There will always be something about Tennessee
that leaves a foul taste in my mouth
Jeff Buckley and Townes Van Zandt died there
Bleach From A Dirty Glass
The last of the rock stars
watches his hourglass empty
grain by grain
Soon he’ll be free to soar
like a red-tailed hawk
over Cape Perpetua
Suicide runs in the family,
but there’s nothing romantic
about subterfuge
Heroin chic is worn well
in Lake Washington
or so it seems
Vipers pull the puppet strings
of breast and belly
until virtue labors
like paper in fire
An undertow of litanies
threatens to go down
about as smooth as bleach
from a dirty glass
When the next version
of Sid meets Nancy,
blood money and shotgun shells
are sure to follow
Mixtape
A punk rock girl
from the Virginias
and a Boston Catholic
should have recoiled
like oil and water
This is where the story
takes an unexpected twist
We got married
the year grunge broke,
but I didn’t care much
for Nevermind
Smells Like Teen Spirit
doesn’t sound so bad now
We had five good years
which was four more
than anyone thought we’d get
I can’t help opening
a drawer in the dresser
to breathe in the scent
from your favorite sweater
Your desk sits untouched
just in case all of this
has been one big mistake
You left me a box
of mixed tapes
Each one better than the last
Michael N. Thompson likes bacon, fantasy football and Doctor Who. His poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals including Word Riot, Toronto Quarterly and San Pedro River Review. He is the author of four poetry collections, the most recent being A Murder Of Crows (University Of Hell Press, 2014). His next collection, Days Of Swine And Roses, will also be released through University Of Hell Press in 2017. www.michaelnthompson.com
