Poem of the Day 02.17.09

leon

leon liked to drive
the delivery trucks in the snow
and barrel them down 219
while listening to conservative talk radio
and spitting snuff juice all over the cab
because it kept him from smoking.
he smelt of sawdust
and built countertops for a living.
he was one of those assholes
who loved their job
and for fun he liked to aim
the truck at animals crossing the road
just to try and get a rise out of me
although we never hit anything.
leon loved to test a man’s metal
but i never gave him a wince
even though i found most
animals to be above most humans
but that was okay to leon
because if he couldn’t hit a live animal
he’d just run over a dead one.
it was all the same to him
to collision of fast rubber and flesh
and usually after we smeared some already-dead
animal along the pavement
leon would laugh, turn up the bile
on the radio, and tell me how he
had this vegan girlfriend for awhile
and whenever he got bored they’d go
out riding on his motorcycle
and just to get a rise out of her
he’d aim the cycle at crossing animals
usually missing them
but enough that she’d squeal and cry
and make him pull over the bike
on the side of the road
vowing to never get on the thing with him again.
then leon would console her and apologize
and that typically lead to them heading
back to his apartment
where he’d lean back and watch her
suck on his cock
while he thought about not smoking cigarettes
having rare steak for dinner
and all of the wood he’d have to cut
the next day at work.