The January Editor's Pick Poet is

Dennis Bagwell

Please feel free to email Dennis at: firedennis@aol.com

CEMETERY SALLY

She hangs out in bone yards
And sleeps with the rats
She conjures the dead
And summons the bats

Her minions are zombies
Diseased and unclean
She has a tattoo
Of the number 13

Maggots for dinner
And frogs for a snack
She rides the night sky
On a winged demon’s back

She was spawned from a witch
And a redneck vampire
A pentagram baby
Born from Hell’s fires

She’s Cemetery Sally
The satanic southern belle
She’s the Halloween Queen
Who likes to raise Hell

TRADING SHADOWS

A zombie man
A zombie woman
Both reach into the cavity for a choice organ
Hands touch
Eyes meet
Neurons spark faintly
Dormant memories awaken
She holding a man’s hand on a beach
He laying in bed next to a woman
A lamentable moan emanates from gravely throats
Neurons die
Memories recede to oblivion
Return to their slab of ribs

FAMILY TIME

Graveyards are quiet
And lonely and sad
My mother lives in one
Right next to my dad

I dig them up quickly
And quietly in the night
I have them back home
Before dawn's full light

I sit them in the living room
And make them both some tea
I tell them all about
What's going on with me

They’re not much for talking
But they always have a smile
We watch some TV
Then play games for awhile

I drive them back home
Our visit now complete
We discuss the next time
And decide when we’ll meet

I place them in their coffins
And straighten Dad’s tie
I fix Mom’s dress
As I try not to cry

I lay them back to rest
Beneath the dirt and grime
You can’t underestimate
The value of family time

The sun begins to peek
As I stop to have a rest
I look for Aunt Maggie’s grave
And continue on my quest

Dennis Bagwell is a politically incorrect, mad at the world, X Generation, heathen, musician, and writer from Orange County California. Dennis moved to North Georgia in 2007 and is quietly preparing for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. He has been writing in one form or another since high school. His warped rantings and observations about the cesspool of a world we are surviving in keeps his spiraling descent into madness at bay.

Dennis has had his poetry published by the League of American Poets, the American Poets Society, 63Channels, Black Petals, Death Head Grin, Word Salad Poetry Magazine, Tree Killer Ink, Yellow Mama, blah, blah, blah! He has released two spoken-word CDs, A Random Litter of Thought (2006) and Paid in Full (2007) on Batteryface Records. A short film of Dennis’ poem “Hollywood” was made available to coincide with the release of Paid in Full.

Visit Dennis at www.dennisbagwell.weebly.com