
Three Poems by Dan Holt
Fever
They got married
in a fever
just like
the Johnny Cash song
The fire
burned so hot
she couldn’t
keep her
hands off him
With a
loaded gun
and enough
bullets
to start a war
they set out
to discover
America
They were found
naked in the
back seat
on Highway 61
The glove box
filled with cash
and crystal meth
The barrel
still warm
Their blood
pooling on the
floor boards
The ultimate
sacrifice
at the alter
of love
A Good Man
He’d be evil
when he
drank
like the
alcohol
was some kind
of poison
eating his
brain
breaking his
will
That was
when he
would hit me
scream at
the children
break the
furniture
I’d curl up
in a ball
to absorb
the punches
I would always
remind myself
that he
loved me
that he was
a good man
He is
quiet now
the poison
is gone
I wait
for the
ambulance
I wait
for the
questions
from the
police
Burn
Stand
in the rain
Feel the cold
burn
my skin
Put my hand
in the fire
Feel the heat
burn
my touch
Stand
at the bottom
of the pool
Feel
The chlorine
burn
my lungs
Close
my eyes
Hear
the noise
Smell
the smoke
feel
the rage
burn
my skull
Bio Dan Holt is blues singer/songwriter/recording artist, poet and fiction author from a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He has produced 11 albums of original music along with various singles and eps. Like most writers, his work has been published in various online and print journals. After many years away from the poetry scene, Dan has returned to writing poetry in 2021. Recent publications featuring his work include Alien Buddha Zine, Bombfire, Dumpster Fire Press: Voices From The Fire, Live Nude Poems, Piker Press, Punk Noir Magazine, Rusty Truck, Rust Belt Review, and Rye Whiskey Review. His first book, “Blank Canvas On Bloody Pavement,” was published in March 2021 by Alien Buddha Press and can be purchased from Amazon.com..