
Shakedown Street
Was it worth the trip? arriving at Terrapin Station searching for guidance among the boney faces from the haven you started from everyone thought Joe Shakedown was a good old man coming on up from the street headshop in bloom peace, love, kindness groovy bears cosmic skeletons all ghost dancing around no one knew about the iron cross the badge he wore underneath the rest when the people cried “Justice” he cried “Treason” when they demanded answers he demanded punishment love that black market don’t you Joe Shakedown? don’t dig those taxes but you’ll take our money be it consumption or state sanctioned we see you, Joe the tower up north you brag about where you take strippers and questionably underage girls didn’t you plan to abduct someone once? “Reeducate her. Ply her with alcohol, good drugs and gifts, she’ll change her mind about the dark meat..” yeah, you sold the business “Jerry Garcia was a junkie.” there’s a big difference between smack and what you’re addicted to… renovating a white building with a big black cross love the silver medallion that’s the virgin mary, right? trading in the tie-dye shirt for a leather jacket coupled with a black and yellow polo what a proud 50-year-old boy you are hey, Joe where you going with that gun of yours? Mike Zone is the Editor in Chief of Dumpster Fire Press, the author of Shedding Dark Places (almost), One Hell of a Muse, A Farewell to Big Ideas and Void Beneath the Skin, as well as coauthor of The Grind. frequent contributor to Alien Buddha Press and Mad Swirl. His work has been featured in: Horror Sleaze Trash, Better Than Starbucks, Piker Press, Punk Noir Magazine, Synchronized Chaos, Outlaw Poetry and Cult Culture magazine. A Poetry showcase “Dreampoems” from Mike Zone A Fevers of the Mind Quick-9 Interview with Mike Zone