PERSON Poem: The Bold Man, by Katelynn Commisso

The bold man burns
wire, purple fire
tips over a bucket full
of water with a garden hoe

The bold man jumps
over the pit
brown brick crumbles
the fire crackles
We have to clean the gutters

The bold man wanders
through the forest
of his backyard
grass tickling his knees,
black smoke climbing the trees
faster and faster

The bold man wonders
who called the cops,
doesn’t worry though, as they
are friends of the family
their eyes like fireflies as they watch
the heat burn bright green

The bold man washes
his hands in dirty water
drops hot wire, fire gold
copper spools spitting
tobacco in his bucket

The bold man whispers
of how to make an extra dollar
I work long hours, he tells
our friends of the family, I am tired

The bold man smells of
sap, crispy wood, fog lights, fresh grass
embers land, he is feral
jumps into the pit,
stripping and screaming

Burn the house down,
the neighbor’s house too
the cops won’t care
they are friends of the family
I bet we can burn them too