My Bloody Chucks by Ashley Cooke

To the man who stole them off my porch

I wouldn't wear them inside your home

or anywhere you care about for that matter

hence why they stayed outside of my door nightly

they weren’t for you to take

but if you really need them

at least let me heed this warning…

They have tracked through punk shows

collecting samples of various spilled beer 

and the blood of someone's broken nose

who insisted on walking from the mosh pit

with his head pointed at everyone feet

because it’s so punk rock to bleed on everyone

They were also my work shoes at the hospital

and I collected many samples here too

from the guy who pissed blood 

to the woman with uncontrollable bowels

and that drunk patient 

who insisted on puking on the floor 

and not the bucket

So please continue to collect 

a petri dish of earth's samples

and hopefully you don’t catch anything

 that I have already grown immune to.

Ashley Cooke is a creative writing major attending Long Beach City College. She is from Long Beach, CA. She is currently working on her first poetry collection. Her work can be found in various online journals such as Moontide Press, Horror Sleaze Trash, Scarlett Leaf Review and many others.