road trip w/ cocorosie

two sisters, sawed in half at birth,

dys membered family roots

splintered, offshooting

scraps, tatters, shotgun

hobbyhorses cruising high noons

in dada’s sedan, desert sun

bleeding maraschino, while the sisters

suctioned to red backseat vinyl, swill

acid lemonade from styrofoam cups—

let’s shoot dad in the back of the head

with a spitball, suggests sister #1—

no, let’s tell him to turn on the radio fullblast,

slash our wrists, and marry our

werewolves, wouldn’t that be cool?

what are you two whispering back there,

dad says; the sisters giggle;

mother removes her tongue

and places it in the glove compartment—

dad pays mom’s mute no mind,

but the sisters, impaired,

pay tribute to silence

by singing a song

about breastmilk & cookies &

mothers tongues

marking hidden gravesites.

About John Biscello

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, writer, poet, performer, and playwright, John Biscello, has lived in the high-desert grunge-wonderland of Taos, New Mexico since 2001. He is the author of four novels, Broken Land, a Brooklyn Tale, Raking the Dust, Nocturne Variations, and No Man’s Brooklyn; a collection of stories, Freeze Tag, two poetry collections, Arclight and Moonglow on Mercy Street; and a fable, The Jackdaw and the Doll, illustrated by Izumi Yokoyama. He also adapted classic fables, which were paired with the vintage illustrations of artist, Paul Bransom, for the collection: Once Upon a Time, Classic Fables Reimagined. His produced, full-length plays include: LOBSTERS ON ICE, ADAGIO FOR STRAYS, THE BEST MEDICINE, ZEITGEIST, U.S.A., and WEREWOLVES DON’T WALTZ.

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