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..