Poems About Misbehavin'

Misbehavin’
by Tracy Lynn Darling

No need to paint her toenails
He said who looked at her toes
He didn’t look at her toes, always covered
Open-toed shoes opened up ideas

She took a long bath one night a week, her idea
Saturday nights when Henry bowled
And while she ran the bath water
She painted her toenails a bright red
Name on the label read Misbehavin’

She sat in the tub
Only her head, shiny red toes peekin’ above white bubbles
So pretty the contrast
Fresh blood on white cotton

And as the water drained she removed the evidence
One toe at a time, ‘til no polish remained
And this didn’t cause much trouble this misbehavin’
She only punished herself

Tracy Lynn Darling ditched the Southern accent on the side of the runway years ago, but, in her heart, she will always be a waitress in a Southern diner. She’s been hiding out in the suburbs of Southern California, cleverly disguised as a soccer mom with three child-actors in the back of her minivan. Her writing is influenced by the refrains of country music, the passion of religious sermons and the repetition and common-man language of political speeches. She is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia and removes the masking tape from her mouth from time to time to read her poetry in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Berkeley. Read her poem Called to the Kitchen, published earlier this month.

The wild ones
by Michael Gebelein

are the best.
the ones who will
scratch out your eyes
pull your hair
throw punches
cuss like their fathers
drink like their grandfathers
and then curl up
and ask
when you’re coming to bed

Michael Gebelein is a 25-year old sports editor for a newspaper in the foothills of the North Carolina mountains.  His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in several magazines and websites, and this poem was previously unpublished. We published his poem Awake, Awake, Awake in 2011.