The Poet by Brenton Booth

Blake wrote poems that

made all the beautiful

girls cry. He'd read them

out loud at the front of

the classroom. Hand

wrote individual copies

for the girls he really liked.

The girls I really liked. The

girls that at only 16 he had

already slept with. The girls

that snarled and quickly 

walked away if I ever spoke

to them. Almost 30 years

has passed. I wonder if my

poems would make those

beautiful girls cry like they

did for his. If they would all

talk about me in hushed

tones before and after class.

If their beautiful legs would

open, welcome me inside,

the same way they did for

his terrible poems. 43

years old. Writing better

poems than he ever could.

Still in his shadow. 

Brenton Booth lives in Sydney, Australia. Poetry of his has appeared in New York Quarterly, Chiron Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Main Street Rag, Naugatuck River Review, Van Gogh's Ear, and Nerve Cowboy. He has two full length collections available from Epic Rites Press. brentonbooth.weebly.com