Terry McCarty was born in Electra, TX in 1959. In 1988, he moved to Southern California. He began workshopping and performing poetry in 1998. Terry’s books include 20 GREATEST HITS (Publish Green e-book) and the new collection HOLLYWOOD POETRY: 2001-2013 (Xlibris print and e-book editions). Terry’s poems also appear in the anthologies THE LONG WAY HOME: THE BEST OF THE LITTLE RED BOOKS 1998-2008 (Lummox Press) and SO LUMINOUS THE WILDFLOWERS (Tebot Bach).

CUTTING LOOSE
by Terry McCarty

I lost the monster somewhere
in the South Bay
and not a moment too soon
he wanted to sell me a crate
of misogynistic tabasco sauce
and insisted I sample it first
no thank you, I said
what’s the matter? he taunted
are you scared of
the natural order of things?
he kept needling me,
repeating the same nasty invocations,
jabs then gutpunches
No, I’m not going to enable your sickness,
I replied.
I’ve made too many people cry
in my lifetime.
And I don’t think it’s natural or right.
As I left the coffeeshop,
the monster yelled at me:
you’re no fun at all
I think I’ll take a drive
cross-country to
Steubenville Ohio
where some teenage boys
love me
unconditionally