These two poems by Mark Danowsky explore differences between childhood and adult trauma…
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by: Mark Danowsky
The Drink
My friends are laughing
Full of boredom
They knock me down
And laugh some more
One takes my arms
Another takes my legs
They are swinging me
Chanting laughing chanting
The drink the drink the drink
Throw him in the drink
They start to carry me
While I laugh with fear
They carry me across the yard
Of my parent’s lost house
They carry me to where
The yard slopes down
I can see how far I’ll drop
From lawn to concrete sidewalk
The drink the drink the drink
Throw him in the drink
I begin to plead and plead
They laugh and chant
Were they filming? No
Why bother this time
The drink the drink the drink
Throw him in the drink
They begin to rock my torso
Back and forth I sway
They begin a countdown
I shriek and shriek and shriek
The drink the drink the drink
Throw him in the drink
I shriek I shriek I shriek
They let go
There must have been a thud
All I hear is laughter
Falling asleep with candles burning
a cigarette dropped from hand
another burn in the hardwood
shattered terracotta thrown—
aftermath not seen in Cheever
—the cat holed up
beneath a blanketed armchair
dog between hallway & bedroom
boy in the half-sleep
of hypervigilance
a full plated meal
uneaten on the coffee table
X passed out on the futon
Thir13en Ghosts crying out
all alone in the worst hours
Mark Danowsky is Editor-in-Chief of ONE ART: a journal of poetry. He is the author of four poetry books. His latest poetry collection is Meatless (Plan B Press). Take Care is forthcoming from Moon Tide Press in 2025.