Of Gender And Weaponry

Frank Losue

( For A. P. )

I arrive at the next accommodating torso.

Here for the poetry. The next performance.

Here for the slam.

A mind with a hard on.

The boom in the bomb.

You're an ear poised for

the piercing.

A nail that needs

a hammer.

What I'm here to give is what

I'm here to get.

I'm a set of wheels looking for a hot piece

of asphalt.

Looking for a road to rut.

I wield my deft androgyny

like a club.

I'm the gargoyle

just come down from the cathedral.

Night is the kitchen where I sing

for my meat.

 There's a song for you

inside my cold, stone throat.

I'm your wicked, midnight Tristan.

Tank top Nosferatu.

My fangs are in

my pants.

                                           Submitter Bio:

Frank Iosue was born in Los Angeles, California in 1951. He holds a

Bachelor Of Arts degree in English from California State University, Los Angeles and a Master Of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing / Poetry from The University of Iowa / Writer's Workshop.

He has conducted writing workshops, been a featured reader at venues around Southern Arizona, and has served as a judge for numerous national poetry competitions through the National Federation Of State Poetry Societies. He also served as judge for the 2022 California State Poetry Society Annual Contest. His poems have appeared in numerous publications and online journals. He has published 11 chapbooks of poetry, which were compiled and published in his volume The Au Revoir Of An Enormous Us : Collected Poems ( 2017 ).