Wednesday, March 15, 2017

"Teen Donuts" by Ross Balcom, Frequent Contributor

Teen Donuts
Ross Balcom

Froglice Doing What He Loved (photo taken shortly before he was murdered)
We use to hang at Teen Donuts,
exploring holes in reality and ourselves.
We opened new pathways,
helped countless doughnuts escape
to freedom; our "underground railroad"
was the dough of legend. They caught us,
of course; the adults, they punished us.
They even killed my friend Froglice.
We needed revenge, and we burnt
Teen Donuts to the ground.
They came for us, of course;
the adults, they captured us
and sentenced us to death.
They'll cut our throats as if we're hogs;
they'll trash our names, and sing
the praises of commerce and life
as new Teen Donuts rise
in every town from here to Hell. 

Poet's Notes: This is a stark, brutal take on a familiar theme: pure-hearted, freedom-loving young people in revolt against an oppressive adult world. "Teen Donuts" manifested one morning shortly after I awakened. God bless you, Froglice; I'll burn down a Teen Donuts in your name.

Editor’s Note:  This one is quite a departure from his usual style but is still recognizable as a Balcom poem by its rhetoric and content.  I enjoy the narrative here and the "fight The Man" motif.  It appeals to my rarely manifested but secretly strong rebel side.

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