Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MADMAN OF THE SOUTH SIDE, by CLARENCE MAJOR


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

MADMAN OF THE SOUTH SIDE, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: I met your husband in a bookshop
Last Line: Ever touched each other
Subject(s): Alcoholism & Alcoholics; Drunkards; Alcohol Abuse


I met your husband in a bookshop.
His looks scared me shitless.

Yet I followed him everywhere.
Fear led to fascination.

He could measure the temperature
spectrum of stars,

outdrink Faulkner and Hemingway
together, fit perfect the shield

around a berth hawser
to keep out rats.

He claimed ancestors
among the Catawba and Shawnee.

To work a spell,
he would release their spirits

from a leather pouch.
But I guess he was right about me.

And I'm sorry you and I
ever touched each other.


Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
98368-0271, www.cc.press.org




Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net