Shallotte Poem by Larry Houston

Wasted on blotter, lighting fireworks with my cigar and tossing them out
In the cold winter air with the heater turned up,
swigging tequila from a pint bottle
They go boom.
We laugh maniacally
two idiot boys in a car, a beach town in winter,
The black and white came out of nowhere hit their lights and siren
we eased over, climbed out
I channeled John Wayne from a movie "don't touch me, I'll do what you want but don't touch me"
That line worked for me too,
They didn't use hands
they used blackjacks instead,
every slap a new color inside my head
my mouth tasted like sucking on pennies
I've hated John Wayne ever since
We got booked
Our cell smelled like cabbage and sweat socks
And on the third day we rose….
Hallelujah
went to court
They dropped charges
F em I'll never go back