Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Final National Poetry Month Poem & Giveaway Winners

I have been running a blog contest for books to celebrate the upcoming publication of my second novel, Every Broken Trust, on May 7. Every week, all those who leave comments on any blog post of the week are entered for signed ARCs and hardcovers of my novels and of anthologies in which I have work--and sometimes original artwork, as well. Winners of last week's blog giveaway are Storytellermary and Susan D. Please email me your postal addresses at lindalynetterodriguez (at) gmail (dot) com. Mary won a signed ARC of Every Broken Trust, and Susan won a signed copy of Feeding Kate, a crime anthology to benefit the Lupus Foundation.So be sure to leave a comment and check back frequently to see if you've won.

Today's the final day of April, National Poetry Month. As I usually do, I've been putting up poems all month to celebrate, and here's the final one. Last week, I did a guest blog on bad boys at Jungle Red Writers, and there was a lot of interest expressed in my Coyote poems, so I thought I'd close out National Poetry Month with Coyote.




COYOTE IN BLACK LEATHER

Coyote slides on black leather
over the T-shirt
that reins in biceps, shoulders, chest.
Dark jeans and biker boots cover the rest
of his long, lithe body as he invades
your everyday, suburban life
like a growl.
You avert your eyes, pretend
you don’t watch
his tight, hard body, his mocking face.
You know he’s bad, doesn’t belong.
Besides, seeing him makes your face too
red, your breath too
short, your bones too
soft, your clothes too
tight. You pretend
not to peek, don’t want him to catch you looking
at the hungry way he stares at you.
Coyote has no class.

Coyote is your secret.
You tell him it’s more exciting that way.
He lifts the eyebrow bisected by a scar and stares
you into silence. He knows
you’re ashamed. He thinks
you’re ashamed of him.
Coyote takes you
to dangerous places.
In dark, dirty bars, he threatens drunks
and fights to protect you.
Coyote takes you
where no one else can.
Coyote takes you
where you can’t admit you want to go.

Published in Heart’s Migration (Tia Chucha Press, 2009)

Happy National Poetry Month to all of you!  Leave a comment for a chance at the giveaway. And don't forget to pre-order your copy of Every Broken Trust! If you're in the Kansas City area, join me in celebrating at my book launch, Friday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. at Mysteryscape, 7309 W 80th St., Overland Park, KS.

11 comments:

  1. So glad to read your poem, Linda! Thank you for sharing this. Love the line, "don’t want him to catch you looking/at the hungry way he stares at you."

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  2. Thanks so much! I have sent you my address (if I copied yours correctly).
    Love the coyote poem, too -- and the reminder of the bad boys . . . oh, yeah . . .

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  3. Jimin, these poems were fun to write, but they're also a gloss on the whole class thing, which plays a large role in the "bad boy" mythos.

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  4. Mary, you did copy my email address right. I just got back from the doctor's office and see it waiting in my inbox.

    Yes, bad boys... sigh...

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  5. Great job, Linda!!! Isn't that the truth!! Takes you where you can't admit you want to go.. Wow!! yep.. Good one!!! I LOVE THIS!! And as much as Lloyd liked it for how it fit for the fella side of it, it works just as well for the gal side too!!! PERFECT!!!! :-) Looking forward to reading more and the new book and to see you again one day soon!!! :-) Diane Waddell

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  6. Hi, Diane! I'm glad you liked the poem. I hope I'll see you at my book launch May 10. (Lloyd will have to wait until I get down to Wichita later in the summer.) Hope you're rocking along as beautifully as you usually are. xoxoxo

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    1. Hi Linda! Yes, I plan to be at your book launch tonight!! I am looking forward to it!! I am soooo Excited for you!!! See you soon!!! :-) Diane

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    2. Diane, also notice that you were the final winner for the blog giveaway. See the next post.

      Looking forward to seeing you tonight.

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