Two Poems 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.