God sat on my chest
And shoved coals down my throat
With aa benevolent smile
While I raged
While I cried
While I begged
I felt no tenderness
But he held me anyway
As I choked on the smoke
As I coughed up the ashes of the old self
Hot coals rumbling around inside me
When I came to
There was a baby
Drinking nectar from my rotten chest
But she was not afraid of me
I reached down to touch
The stitches on my womb
And threw up my old heart
All over the hospital floor
Amy Sexauer is a poet and author of Poppies published by Dead Reckoning Collective, from which this poem was taken. She is a West Point graduate who spent nine years on active duty in Military Police and Psychological Operations units. She is currently in the Army Reserves. You can listen to our Savage Wonder episode with her here. Follow her here.
This week on the Savage Wonder podcast…
Air Force spouse Ashley Gutermuth
turned down a surefire career as a flight investigator and inspector to pursue stand-up comedy. Not only was she not deterred by the pandemic, she succeeded in navigating the Zoom comedy world, finding corporate gigs and continuing to hone her craft. Finding a way to tell jokes and not fully derail her husband's career, Ashley is a natural comic who is just hitting her stride and taking the military community along with her.
Folks - the Parlor is back!
Starting this Saturday night, downtown Cornwall is once again the place to see great theater with Joshua Harmon’s 2018 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award winning dramady Admissions. Drinks, dessert, a hilarious live performance, professional actors, an intimate unforgettable space, pay-what-you-can tickets…it simply does not get better than this.
I’m not going to lie, we’re poking the bear a little with Admissions. It’s not a traditional comedy. It’s a provocative yet even-handed look at the college admissions process and the hypocrisies, gaffes, primal screams, and noble intentions behind race-based admissions. Issues of race, class, and privilege are confronted head-on with Joshua Harmon’s straightforward, unsparing, blunt dialogue. It’s a night of satire, drama and social commentary that will leave you questioning, laughing, and shaking your head.
As always, you’re welcome to show up and hope for a cancellation. But if you really want to see the show, why not book now and save yourself the uncertainty?