The Boy Next Door
I used to hear him
having sex
she used to scream
right through
the wall
one day
he invited me in
said
he had something
to show me
it was a matchbox
full of ecstasy
this one is speckled
and this one
has the logo of a car
and this one is best left
till you’re ready
I didn’t mind
any of it
he was just always trying
to be a good brother
Dip
for Don D
I wonder
if you still
put cigarettes out
on your arm for fun
on balmy spring nights
or whether
tattooing your initials
across your entire ribcage
scratched that itch
I remember crying
with laughter
screaming
‘FRENCH’
into each other’s faces
fifteen years on
I wonder
if you still
have a dip
& grin
teeth wide
behind
protruding lip
bits of brown tobacco
waiting to be flicked
away
Death by a Thousand Cunts
The Chinese
had Lingchi
used to slowly cut
strips of skin
from the body
with a blade
then of course there was
the Spanish tickler
thumbscrews
the rack
& brodequin
most would agree
Western Europe
has moved on
since then
become more civilized
but here in Italy
if you’re not careful
they will still send you
to the department
of motor vehicles
and if you’ve been really bad
to the post office
The Lorry
The lorry
had its hazards going
just before the traffic lights
where rivers of pupils
ran every afternoon
she was three or
four ahead
of me
I knew
who she was already
because my dad
flirted with her mum
at the football
but she hadn’t gained
her reputation yet
she was three or
four ahead
when she stepped up
into the cab
& took the keys
from the ignition
half gasp
half laugh
all round
slow-mo
yet super quick
she back was down
& up the road
swinging them
round her finger
the river
ran round the corner
opposite the pub
& that’s where
she threw the keys
onto the back
of a passing flatbed
wedged them
right into the sand
I always wondered
how long it took
to find them
& whether
the lorry driver
kept his job
I didn’t have to wonder
about what happened to her
it was all in the papers
glassed some poor sod
in the face
& took a shit
on the dance floor
Danny D. Ford’s first poetry collection ‘Slides for Alberto‘ will be published in May 2021 by Between Shadows Press. His poetry, illustrations and photography have appeared in various titles including ‘Double Feature‘ (by John Dorsey & Mike James) & ‘Perforated By Sirens‘ (co-authored with Mark Anthony Pearce) Analog Submission Press 2021 & 2020 respectively, Albany Poets, Cacti Fur, Inefável, Horror Sleaze Trash, Dumpster Fire Press, Cephalo Press, Superpresent Magazine, Ancient Heart Magazine, Black Listed Magazine, Dark Lane Quarterly Collaborative, BareHands, BS Poetry Magazine, Coronaverses,& Winamop.
‘The Unfolding Head’ is co-founder & compère of Dust Your Broom & print collective Never Kill a Rainbow, in Bergamo, Italy, where he lives and works as an English teacher.
Punk Noir Press 