it was the first day of the Festival
of Pamplona
and I was running like a mother
down a narrow cobblestone street
and I heard a scream
and looked back
at one of the bulls
which had speared a big guy
who went up in the air
like a rag doll
and I ran like a motherfucker
and got in front of a fat guy
El Gordo
for protection,
and then Jake
came running
alongside of me
and I said “Jake! You dirty old–
pass me the wine skin!”
and I grabbed the bag and took a big squirt,
letting the stuff hit the back of
my throat
before I swallowed,
and Jake and me made it
into the bull ring
along with all the other
jackasses.
Wayne F. Burke’s poetry has appeared in a variety of publications (including Your One Phone Call). His three published poetry collections, all from BareBack Press, are WORDS THAT BURN, DICKHEAD, and KNUCKLE SANDWICHES. A fourth collection, A LARK UP THE NOSE OF TIME, is due out in 2017. His chapbook PADDY WAGON is published by Epic Rites Press. He lives in the central Vermont area (USA).
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