Danny Tillman eats [MF]ing mayflies for a quarter.
He waggles thin lips, [F]ing fake-chews, jaw bobbing,
then gulps as if [GD] dish soap tastes better.
His minister father believes in Palmolive
punishment: purifier, reminder, spirit-cure
for boys who take the Lord’s name in vain, curse.
A little green dab on tainted taste buds cleanses
sin and sugar-stained palates, color-coated
by twenty-five-cent machines’ bubble gum – forbidden
sweet chasers to purge, forgive and forget flavors:
[SOB] bugs and betrayals for silver.
John Davis Jr.’s poetic work has been published in venues internationally, with recent appearances in Deep South Magazine, Saw Palm, Real South, and Floyd County Moonshine, among other fine literary outlets. In 2012, he was among the winners of the Robert Frost Poetry and Haiku Contest, sponsored by the Studios of Key West. His Southern poetry has also been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
Steel Toe Review 