Tonic Male By Alec Solomita

I’ve never struck a woman,

at least not yet, but I’m almost

seventy so the chances are slight.

The closest I came was when I

was arguing with L_____ about

something, I think about sex.

I was holding a glass

of Coke and she said something,

I think something about sex.

I tossed the contents of my glass

in her face. She laughed and then 

slapped me.

Alec Solomita is a writer and artist working in the Boston (USA) area. His fiction has appeared in the Southwest Review, The Mississippi Review, Southword Journal, and Peacock, among other publications. He was shortlisted by the Bridport Prize and Southword Journal. His poetry has appeared in Poetica, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Litbreak, Driftwood Press, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Galway Review, The Lake, and elsewhere, including several anthologies. His photographs and drawings can be found in Convivium, Fatal Flaw, Young Ravens Review, Tell-Tale Inklings, and other publications. He took the cover photo and designed the cover of his poetry chapbook, “Do Not Forsake Me,” which was published in 2017. His full-length poetry book “Hard To Be a Hero,” will be coming out this spring.