Monday, January 18, 2021

Fun House Blues



image from caranddriver.com 

Fun House Blues


“You ask me to write you a poem, and I pen you

an empty ocean as you run away.”--Janim Disie. 


My father was a petty criminal. He went to prison

for robbing a gas station when I was ten. He was

killed in jail in a dispute over cigarettes. My mother

was an addict and a prostitute, who abandoned my

older sister and I when I was twelve. My sister and I

lived on the streets until she was murdered while

turning a twenty dollar trick. 


After foster homes, I went out on my own at 16. I

joined a band of car thieves. I could break into a car, 

hot wire it and be gone in three minutes. I was driving

a 700 hp. Dodge Charger when it took the cops two

hours to run me down. I ended up in the hospital

handcuffed to the bed. You know, sometimes the great

bones of my life feel so heavy. 



Glenn Buttkus


Prosery


Posted over at d'Verse Poet's Pub

18 comments:

brudberg said...

Someone so young being so tired takes a lot of criminal action ... all the misery of childhood seems almost two much... I like it.

Linda Lee Lyberg said...

There are some people born to get into trouble. Love this Glenn.

Merril D. Smith said...

A sad life for that person. I wonder what happened after.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

This is incredibly poignant, Glenn! You have packed so much emotion into this prose- I can visualize the weariness of that 16 year old who probably had no idea what he was getting himself into.

indybev said...

Sadly, there are no doubt similar stories to be told over and again.

Ron. Lavalette said...

Succinctly related bio, Glenn, & superb elucidation of prompt.

robkistner said...

Well, ev’rybody’s got sumpthin’... at least the guy’s not Republican. :)

Ingrid said...

It's no wonder this guy ended up in trouble with the law: sounds like he never had a chance!

Kim M. Russell said...

Some people were just born with heavy bones, weighed down by the circumstances of birth and the bad luck that rubbed off on them. I suppose, if those people didn’t exist, we would never have known the blues.

Kerfe said...

Most of us indeed dramatize much ado about nothing. The matter-of-fact tone here is perfect.

Debi Swim said...

One can hope his life turns around. A sad, sad story.

lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.com said...

Well this guy's bones were definitely weighed down by his circumstances and then his choices. Well written.

Helen said...

Whether 'tis fact or fiction .... great write!!!

JadeLi said...

In my old job as a juvenile PO interacting with kids just like that, the ones having lived 5 lifetimes in the span of a few years, is haunting. So many adults can't connect with teenagers especially delinquent ones. The role of listener was the biggest one I had. If a child like that has even one kind ear, it can make all of the difference.

Ken Gierke said...

Bad to the bone.

ben Alexander said...

Glenn, this should be a movie. Well done!

-David

Louise Gallagher said...

Wow! Heart-breaking story well told.

Misky said...

Everyone needs a back-story, and this is a beaut.