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.