SELECTED
POETRY
by Brian Fugett

'PERISTALSIS IN THE BOWELS OF DOWNTOWN'
by Brian Fugett

all up & down
5th street there are
peep shows
coffee shops
liquor stores
& fresh tattoos that glow
on the pale
february bleached flesh
of girls
& all the skinny caramel lattes
are clutched too tight
even though they are hotter than
the august pavement
& everywhere you go
along east 3rd street
the cell phones are screaming
to be released from
all of the pockets
purses
& glove compartment coffins
while a roving pack of mimes
stalk the corner of 4th & main
peddling
thespian nightmares
in a symphony of silence
so loud
it sounds like propaganda
& all the yellow
slowly leaks
from the sun
as i sit in the caf�
across the street
murdering myself
one cigarette
at a time.

� Brian Fugett

Reproduced with permission

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'COFFEE AT THE TWO-CUP-CAF�'
by Brian Fugett

my waitress
Irene
is a
bull-dyke brunette
with a mouthful of cancelled teeth
& a smile
naked as
a Sunday
sunbeam.

she leans
over the table
to refill the coffee
& I catch
an eyeful
of breasts
so close
I can feel the heat gathering
in her cleavage.

my libido makes
a hasty
alcohol addled
assessment:
�Note� Irene�s breasts
pendulous yet firm
not bad for a woman
pushing 50.�

just then
the drunken sailor
at the next table
pinches her ass
she yelps
misfires
& I find myself
with a lap full
of scalding hot
colombian
breakfast blend.

she attempts to apologize
as I frantically fan
my crotch
but her voice
gets lost
somewhere else
as her face
is swallowed by
the phlegm basted
cackle
of a smoker�s laugh.


� Brian Fugett
Reproduced with permission

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'EASTER MORNING, 1989'
by Brian Fugett

The taste of sleep
lingers in my mouth
as I feed another
cup of black coffee
to an impending ulcer.

Uncle Ernie with his
bushy gray hair
& crumb speckled beard
sits next to me
leaning his elbows
on the table
gumming a spoonful
of oatmeal.

I light a Marlboro
fascinated by
the tattoo
that decorates
his forearm
with the image
of a dead angel
dangling between
the salivating jaws
of a Golden Retriever.

He pauses mid-chew
spoon still perched
to his lips
then startles me with
a sudden sideways glance.

He studies me for a moment
eyes wide, then says, �I
used to be the meanest
son-of-a-bitch south of Hanoi.�

He holds his gaze,
I nod in agreement
muttering, �Yep, I bet
you were Uncle Ernie. I
bet you were.�

And I imagine he was
as I watch his grip tighten
around the spoon, causing
the limp angel to convulse
between the Retriever�s jaws.


� Brian Fugett
Reproduced with permission

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'INSOMNIAC�S MANTRA'
by Brian Fugett

I
WANT
TO STRANGLE
THE SUN
SO THE REST
OF THE WORLD
CAN EXPERIENCE
THE DARKNESS
THAT DWELLS
INSIDE
ME.


� Brian Fugett
Reproduced with permission

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'SHELTERING SHEILA'
by Brian Fugett

5:57a.m.
The motel room
is still thick
with shadows.

I linger in bed,
pinned down
by the gravity
of a throbbing
hangover.

The distant sounds
of the highway
filter in
on the breeze
as Sheila gazes
out the window
huddled over
a cigarette.

�Baby killer!�
a voice shrieks
from the next room.
A door slams
& an argument erupts.

Sheila flicks
her cigarette
out the window
& cups her palms
around her ears.

�Sometimes, when
it�s really quiet,
my hands sound
like the ocean,�
she says, focusing
her eyes
on the horizon.


� Brian Fugett
Reproduced with permission

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BRIAN'S MUSE (aka his favorite vices):

Cheap vodka

$2 bottle of merlot

Factory outlet cigars ($5 will get ya 20 smokes, what a bargain)

My girlfriend in pigtails & a t-shirt

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BRIAN'S FAVOURITE PLAYWRIGHTS:

DAVID IVES

Click title for a short biography of Ives; for a review of Ives' play, 'All in the Timing', click here or for plays by Ives on Amazon, click here

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SARAH KANE

Click title to visit Iain Fisher's Sarah Kane website; for a biography of Kane on the In Yer Face Theatre site, click here or for plays by Kane on Amazon, click here

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HAROLD PINTER

Click title to visit the official Harold Pinter website; for Ann-Marie Cusac's interview with Pinter on The Progressive website, click here or for related books on Amazon, click here

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DAVID MAMET

Click title for a profile of Mamet on the Imagi-Nation website; for the David Mamet Info page on Mindspring, click here or for plays by Mamet on Amazon, click here

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EDWARD ALBEE

Click title for a biography and selection of links relating to Albee and his works; for a profile of Albee on the Imagi-Nation site, click here or for plays by Albee on Amazon, click here

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EUGENE IONESCO

Click title for a profile of Ionesco on the Imagi-Nation website; for the Eugene Ionesco Homepage, click here or for plays by Ionesco on Amazon, click here

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BRIAN'S OTHER INFLUENCES INCLUDE:

MARK LEYNER

Click title for Alexander Laurence's interview withe Leyner on the Write Stuff website; for a profile and Leyner-related links on the Rumored.com site, click here or for books by Leyner on Amazon, click here

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ALBERT CAMUS

Click title a biography and a great selection of links relating to Camus and his works; for a selection of critical essays of Camus' work, click here or for Camus' works on Amazon, click here

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ROY LICHTENSTEIN

Click title to visit the website of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation; to view a selection of Lichtenstein's art on the Cold Bacon website, click here or for related books on Amazon, click here

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