Darling, Do You Love Me

 

Bob Bradshaw

Scars snake up my arms from knife fights.
But girls are drawn to bad boys, right?
I know you, girl, as well as I know
the inside of a jail.
I've got more guns in my house than matches.
I've got a kitchen filled with knives.
I've got a pit bull that could bring down a deer.
But I've got a sensitive side.
I'm well-read. I've read the biography
of John Wayne Gacy.
I've got magazines in the bathroom.
I've got a python named Gracie in a glass cage.
I like to watch a mouse shudder
in the corner. On cold nights,
when the guests have been rude,
I let Gracie share their blankets.
Her embrace is more memorable
than any lover's. Tell me, darling,
is it true you love
only me?

 

 

 

 

Bob is on the lam in Redwood City, CA.  He is a big fan of the Rolling Stones.  Mick may not be gathering moss, but Bob is (in a basement in a seamier side of town).  Recent work of his can be found at PNG, Eclectica, Orange Room Review and Cha.