Better Than Enema Burgers
by Peter Magliocco
Amazing how much there is to be afraid of,
fear lurks covertly in our everyday lives
& waits to pounce on us at a Jack-in-the-Box
drive-thru with springs broken, the more
to scare us with radio traffic updates
warning motorists of nearby accidents
to avoid on surface streets
where a drive-by shooting happened
just the other night,
& the young girl in the drive-up window
at Jack-in-the-box
is a scarred, hard-bitten Chicana
just sprung from prison
by a boyfriend wanted in three states
for rape, attempted homicide, & sodomy
with abducted minors.
So down your pre-lunch cocktail
of designer Valium tabs
chased by a hot gulp of whiskey –
& frenetically wave your cell
at rude motorists trying to block
your speeding Nascar-like getaway
from the scene of no greater crime
than your being
scared shitless …