Prowl Car
by Bill Yarrow
They picked up Delmore for reverberation.
I'm heading over to 23rd and Oregon
to post the petty codicil for bail.
Desiderius was busted for sawing off
his ankle bracelet. I thought he knew
better. I warned him but he wouldn't listen.
They're rounding up the hyphenates.
I texted Vargas-Llosa and Cabrera-Infante.
Did you get a hold of Valle-Inclan?
Chris? Found drunk in the street
again. Talking smack to a Czech
girl who said she knew him. Well...
The moon's out over Miami. Mischief
has marked the bone marauders for doom.
Under every sparse tongue is a skeleton key.
I'm heading over to 23rd and Oregon
to post the petty codicil for bail.
Desiderius was busted for sawing off
his ankle bracelet. I thought he knew
better. I warned him but he wouldn't listen.
They're rounding up the hyphenates.
I texted Vargas-Llosa and Cabrera-Infante.
Did you get a hold of Valle-Inclan?
Chris? Found drunk in the street
again. Talking smack to a Czech
girl who said she knew him. Well...
The moon's out over Miami. Mischief
has marked the bone marauders for doom.
Under every sparse tongue is a skeleton key.
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Author's Note
This poem appeared in the March 2011 issue of Negative Suck.
Thank you, Jeff Callico.
A version of this poem appears in Pointed Sentences (BlazeVOX, 2012).
Other stories by Bill Yarrow
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For the word "hyphenates" alone, but for lots of other reasons, too, I love this poem, so much that I keep reading it - the middle stanza is still my favorite.
love bone marauders and the vargas guy..very decco noirsh
Though I'm embarrassed to say I don't get all of the allusions, I too love hyphenates.
That last line! Intriguing and superbly crafted - as usual. *
Hyphenated once, but I'm better now. Didn't get all the allusions either, but am beyond embarassment.
Erasmus?
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The allusions in this poem are just winks and nods to authors I like and recommend: Delmore Schwartz (In Dreams begin Responsibilities), Desiderius Erasmus (In Praise of Folly), Mario Vargas Llosa (The Green House), Guillermo Cabrera Infante (Three Trapped Tigers), Ramon del Valle-Inclan (Tirano Banderas), and Kit Smart (Jubilat Agno).
In Praise of Folly is a great book, and very amusing. This poem is fantastic too. *
Wink, wink. Another little masterpiece. * A+