ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTOR: The Truth by Levi J Mericle

 

The Truth

THE TRUTH by Levi J Mericle

 

 

Gorgeous George

This man,
sweaty with God and

sticky with cheap whiskey.

He had a fake gold chain that portrayed a crucifix around his neck,

along with a stretch of chain I believed could only be worn by Hercules.

Stumbling over his words like a dog chasing its tail,

he escaped the holiness of our front door.

Mom had no idea who he was or what intentions he had.

I was 6 and he looked horny,
like a male horse exposing his genitalia. He came storming into my reality,

like a nightmare that I thought could only be fictional.

He smelt of cheap whores and latex,

His eyes kept finding mine as I kept trying to look away.

He must have weighed as much as a baby calf I think,
you know the fat ones you see in the pastures

with a senseless urge to eat everything.

He waddled over to where I was sitting
I can’t remember what he said or how he said it
But I remember his name.

“Gorgeous George”

And I can remember the taste of his lips and breath

as he pressed his lips to mine.

The slight sting of alcohol almost masked the pinch of his knife
as he toyed with my abdomen.

And it reminded me of a certain Errol Flynn movie I always loved to watch.

I wanted to scream and cry like a little girl but was too afraid to budge

I could see my mother’s and brothers’ faces and I knew we all thought

that this was the end.

 

levimericle@q.com 09062014

 

The writing process although a universal one, varies with people and subjects. For many years I’ve suffered with my own personal demons like Bipolar disorder, OCD etc. It was like a veil that descended when I was fourteen and shielded all the sanity within. Transferring that pain onto paper was one of my only means of release and remains so today. Some people may think writing about razor blades and other disturbing images are too much to handle, but writers should write what the feel even though sometimes those feelings are too overwhelming even for the author.

Levi J. Mericle is a poet/spoken-word artist and lyricist from Tucumcari, N.M. His poems have appeared in multiple anthologies and you can read his work in Black Heart Magazine, Resurgant Press’s Screech Owl, Poet’s Haven and the upcoming issue of The Awakenings Review. Please feel free to visit his website @ http://levimericle.com/.

Copyright © 2014 by Levi J Mericle