Heady Lesson #1
Take a head off
keep the words inside
put it in a briefcase—the big one with all the important files—brain and
veins still dripping blood
A head can be a messy thing
but it’s okay,
as long as I don’t have to clean it
Heady Lesson #2
I’m foaming at the mouth hide behind a metaphor hide behind research search for usual suspects line them up repetition the plot thickens shampoo effect rinse and you know what’s next lip service causes gum disease tight lips mad libs fail to call 9-1-1 cover my face with poetry
It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to
Never ask for forgiveness
azz backwards
back that azz up
bounce a quarter off that ass
you left it in Omaha with Ben Sasse
where’s the beef
willing suspension of disbelief
all you need is some suspenders
a barrel is a cartoon character’s little black dress
shootin off like crackers in a barrel
taste the biscuit
eat my shorts
You’s a hobart
Kate Carmody's work has been published or is forthcoming in Electric Literature, Porter House Review, The Rumpus, Potomac Review, Essay Daily, No Contact, Los Angeles Review, and Lunch Ticket, among others. She has been awarded a residency at Ragdale and attended the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. She received her MFA from Antioch University in Los Angeles and teaches writing courses nationally.