The Suicide of Katelyn Davis & Four other new poems by Tohm Bakelas

The Suicide of Katelyn Davis

as unfamiliar cars drive by
and neighborhood dogs bark
and the sun sets into darkness
a wounded fruit drapes like a silhouette
an apparition dressed in child’s clothes
inside families are preparing dinner
the phone keeps ringing without an answer
the silhouettes dances as the twilight settles.

August Poem

we will cleanse ourselves in the falling rain
under the golden moonlight
of all the wounded yesterdays
and nights of endless bleeding
tomorrow embraces the fall and decline
skin stained black from inking passages
prose and ramblings of sincere longing
the suicides of lovers
the homicides of lovers
the drowning of longing and kissing the bottle.

Drowning of Crickets

last night there was rain
warm heavy rain
everything was cleaned
trees bent in half
flowers choked
crickets drowned while
singing songs
and cicadas were silenced
under machine-gun rain

garbage
guilt
shit
and
sin
washed away.

this morning it is humid
and i remain hopeful
it will rain again.

Tin Foil

​ ​
most people i’ve met
don’t wear tin foil hats
when completely psychotic
that is a fantasy of some
shit sucking hollywood exec

in hospitals
in streets
in homes
in jails
i’ve never met one who wore a tin foil hat

a few years back
i smoked some hashish with thirteen books of matches
i didn’t have a lighter
i went to the pantry
found the foil
constructed an army grade helmet
affixed it to my skull
and felt truly powerful and free
no gamma rays
delta rays
x-rays
radio waves
were going to get me
as i stood admiring my tin foil hat
in the bathroom mirror

suddenly there was a knock on the front door
i ran into the pantry
shut off the light
and simply waited for it to pass.

Alarm Clock

monday through friday an alarm clock
is scheduled for 6am.
most days i awaken before the alarm
somedays 5 or 5:30
and then it begins.
i feed the cat and dog
show them early morning affection
most days i encourage the dog to east faster
the bastard knows i have work
he stares at my falling words
wags his tail
when he finishes i let him outside
i provide him opportunity
to sniff the air
piss and shit and eat things
not meant for consumption
the cat looks jealous
she always looks this way when he’s outside
reminders of the warmth of the house
do not appease her
he comes back in licking his chops
undoubtedly he ate his own shit
and will vomit later
fucking bastard
routine continues:
i get undressed in the bathroom
turn the shower on
sometimes i jerk off
sometimes i don’t
the shower cleanses all impurities
that tainted my soul in the nighttime
when complete i dry off and get dressed
i kiss my wife goodbye
drive to work
arrive one hour early
policy states i cannot enter the building
until the start of my shift
i turn the radio off and wait
nature is beautiful today
maybe it’s always been this way
no one seems to listen anymore
i’ll read vonnegut or bukowski until 7:57am
when i will leave it all behind
and go inside.

it is 16 degrees fahrenheit
i wonder how many people froze to death last night
dreaming of a better life
that was their routine
not mine.

Tohm Bakelas

Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have been featured in Outlaw Poetry, Nixes Mate Review, Sheila-Na-Gig, Piker Press, Ghost City Press, Tower Journal, The Raw Art Review, Razur Cuts, Medusa’s Laugh Press (forthcoming), and Weasel Press (forthcoming). He has three published chapbooks “Orphan Crows” (Analog Submission Press, July 2018), “Destroy My Wound” (Budget Press, August 2018), “In Living Rooms” (Iron Lung Press, November 2018) and a microchapbook “We All Arrive” (Origami Poems Project, October 2018).

One Reply to “The Suicide of Katelyn Davis & Four other new poems by Tohm Bakelas”

  1. I’ve seen this guy perform in his old band Four Fingers and probably a few others and had no idea he’s still doing it. I’ll have to check out Permanent Tension. He’s a funny guy. A true and honest New Jersey punk who tells you how it is. These poems are awesome. Any plans for published work?

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