2 new poems from Matthew Freeman

Religiosity

I've been corrupted! And now
they won't let me back in,
my childhood church,
the ground of my making.
All along I've been following my nose,
I never set out to ruin myself.
And I've done everything in my power
to control the narrative, to make it about recovery.
I never expected I'd say this
but I'm pretty much cool with most of the doctrine.

I mean, after I got the leather jacket
and a second wafer
magically materialized at communion
it didn't take long for me to realize
that the resurrection must be real.
I'm not out to subvert anybody!
It's clear to me that the answer is love--
even as I'm tainted,
even as I'm trying to come out of the shadow.
Believe me when I tell you: What I've heard is not my fault.

All I did was look into the breach
and see that something 
was wanting, something severe,
and the moment I broke away
from my father
was the moment I most closely
resembled him.
No matter. I've been living on next to
nothing.

Were Dionysus Forty-Eight

What a world it is when
you head out to Schnucks
in order to put some pennies into their
change machine
and you see a young woman in expensive exercise clothes
and then an old dude in a suit going into a bank
and it's not so much you want to be a part of it--
you don't, you really don't--
it's that by not being a part of it
you feel that you're a horrible human being.

For thirty years
I've been trying to build
a better burger. I haven't
gotten paid yet per se
but I think my time is coming.
Let's just say the Bacchae
have renewed their interest,
and now they're keeping a close watch on me
again.


A Poetry Showcase by Matthew Freeman

A Fevers of the Mind Quick-9 Interview with Matthew Freeman