He's not crazy,
takes one day at a time
and understands he is
powerless...
a human shell with
no accountability.
He's skipped right the fuck past
letting go and letting God.
Head cracked open on the kitchen floor
he writes sonnets for her with
refrigerator magnets because he knows
she'll answer one day.
He has made a list of those he's hurt.
Those affected by his lack of will,
those burned alive by his words,
his actions, his taunts and he
flashes back to schoolyard bullies.
His name is Nicko
He's a sicko
and an alcoholic
and he makes tin foil hats
during arts and crafts.
And she sits there,
millions of miles away
reading Erica Jong and ranting
poetic about the man she can't save.
A man she wouldn't save even if
she wasn't powerless and was held
accountable. Because A.A. is a fucking
joke. And what's wrong with him runs
deeper
so much deeper
than Guinness and swimming pools.
She could save him if she wanted to.
A contest entry
- Tin Foil Hat by Danna Hobart.
300 points, ended January 19, 2008, 9 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
I really don't give a shit what you think about this. So unless you have something constructive to say...
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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Intense, fiesty, thought provoking and powerful. As a survivor of being in a relationship with a Catholic alcoholic the references to God and Guinness sideswipped me. Bravo.
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A most interesting poem.A good take on the prompt too.
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I love all the twelve step jargon peppered through this.
He's skipped right the fuck past
letting go and letting God.
Brilliant play on words here.
His name is Nicko
He's a sicko
and an alcoholic
and he makes tin foil hats
during arts and crafts.
This is your weakest stanza, because I am not really sure why he is making the tin foil hats? Is there some paranoia?
I like the fact that she knows she can't save him, and still feels guilty. Doesn't that just sum up women? Always so good at feeling guilty about things we can't change. It's a strong poem. I like it very much, but I think the tin foil hat stanza could be cut. -
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The sicko, alcoholic, tin foil hats, and arts and crafts was a reference (a weak one!) to the opening line, "He's not crazy". What do crazy people do? They get locked up, have arts and crafts time... and make tin foil hats.
To quote myself, "If I have to explain it, it didn't work."
I think you're right though, and I'll cut that stanza. Does it still fit without the reference? To me, being involved in A.A. is close enough to the craziness of tin foil hats. 
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Yes, please leave it in the contest. It is actually the sort of poem I was hoping to recieve in the contest
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