Page 60 - The Woven Tale Press Vol. IV #5

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Hobby Horse
Climb up on my back. For a small additional fee, you can use the crop, and I will buck and neigh.
The art of suppressing the gag reflex lets me take the bit more easily, swallow the words I might say.
Such as: Goodnight, Empire. It really has been a gas. Good crack. Fair play. Fun times, foul weather and all.
I never would have known what lay beneath my scalp until you crowned me with that dunce’s cap of tar.
And to think, I had twenty finger- and toe-nails,
far too many for anyone, so thanks for removing a few.
Sure, the branding iron’s hot, the tattoo needle stings.
But this is just how some people show pride in what they own.
I am yours now, completely. The love songs have it right, how good be in your place, how nice to belong to someone.
Peake’s poems have appeared in a wide range of journals and anthologies, in- cluding North American Review, Poetry International, Lota, and Magma Poetry, and received three Pushcart Prize nominations. He created the Transatlantic Poetry series, bringing poets together for live online readings and conversa- tions. His collection The Knowledge is available from Nine Arches Press.