Snapshot

My books are available on Amazon, and here's a link to my YouTube channel where I do readings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNzeVyF51Og

The abandoned house

smelled like a garbage dump.

There were holes in the floor

and pipes exposed.

The cheap wine

tasted like regret and shame.

Bozo was there,

sleeping in a heap

in the corner of the living room.

He looked like that clown

from the old cartoons,

wild red hair sticking out

at the sides of his head.

The floorboards creaked.

Any minute, I expected them to break,

landing me in the basement,

or hell,

or the abyss of degradation.

I hopped over one of the holes

and found my way through the dark,

to Bozo.

I shook his dirty army coat.

“Bozo, wake the hell up.

I got a bottle of wine.”

He said,

“Either I’m dreaming,

or it’s Christmas,

or you’re an angel.”

He sat up

and smiled,

a toothless grin.

We each lit a half-crushed cigarette

and touched the flame

to a small candle

made out of a beer can.

Bozo had a little portable radio.

He put it on low

to an old jazz channel.

Coltrane was burning

those amber notes

into our little shack

while we talked

about life,

death,

Van Gogh,

and what the hell we were gonna do

to blur the memories.

We snuffed out our cigarettes.

Bozo threw me

a dirty old blanket,

hard and crusty

from years with bums.

We finished the sweet, bitter wine

and drifted off to sleep,

dreaming of cattails,

summer ponds,

and better years.

Author's Note

New long-form poetry reading on YouTube—featuring work from Aluminum Cowboys and a sneak peek from Searching for Nod.

Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNzeVyF51Og

Books on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-W.-Case/author/B0CL2RKDGX?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=xsU45&content

Reviews

[Rosie C]

An intriguing and fascinating poem.

I was drawn to this by the title.

I admire the creative thinking process throughout this piece. Each stanza demonstrates your ability to highly captivate the reader.

A true storyteller. Enchanting at its best. x

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you, Rosie.

[John the Baptist]

A snapshot, indeed. That you survived such a life and are able to write poems about it says much for you. For Bozo, I just can't say.

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you, my friend.

[red93]

This is tremendous Work Thomas from the front-line of Poverty and Degradation in the US of A. If any of yr Readers had any delusions about the dark malign and corrupt Heart of the American Dream, Poems like this gem will persuade them otherwise. Exceptional Plus ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you, my friend.

[Soren]

Soft in its harshness, clean in its dirt, pure in its depravity it paints a picture of life as it is and the freedom to look at either side. Very nicely written my friend

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you, my friend.

[Soren]

You are most welcome Thomas