Krista the Atomic Bomb

[impoetry]

 I caught Tommy SixDogs making out with an atomic bomb on the 89th of July, year 7 of Aunt June’s elementary school-laundromat and occasional notary public. And man, did she blow. The bomb, not Aunt June, Jesus. Him neither. The bomb was named Krista and ol’ Tommy did not stand, nor sit, near huddle in a corner a chance with Krista the Atomic Bomb. He didn’t care, ran right in, knowing the danger, knowing the outcome, tongue a lapping at the air like a dog at hot yoga. 

You don’t warn them you know. There’s not point when I boy’s gotta die in a girl’s radiation blast because the Good Lord didn’t give boys any dollars nor cents when it comes to girls and...ope. There goes another. Rest in peace, my clueless, wild-tongued brethren.  

It’s not better now. On Tuesday. Look at that bottle. Just look at it, 16.1700 liters of explosive, unregulated medicine sitting on the shelf. Tommy likes to suck on that too. Glug-ug-ugghhhhhhhuhhhhh. You can see him now, right? Please picture him here. A bit older now, shit, when did we get old, Tommy? Just gotta have that sweet medicine, fix everything, do the thing, twice at midnight, no need to beg, no need to shave, crank up Thunder Road, scratch any itch you can find because this is it, this is the shit that’s going to fix me drink. Boom. Addiction blows too.  

Maybe if we prayed about it, the mystical ether-matter-god will fix it all for us, that nagging feeling in our belly that’s a hunger for only the most destructive vices. STARMAN! STARMAN, answer our call! She had a set of double d’s tuned to just the right station, a pink drink that was more gasoline than sweet, and she’s walking around as if Tommy’s not fresh out of rehab for drugs, sex, and Phillopino polka. Starman help us. We’re more like Bowie without the “B”. Shit, this song was supposed to rhyme, baybe.  

I looked at her while it looked like she was lookin’ and me, and that was probably enough to send me to orbit and come back with a thumpin in my pumpin and then she did this thing I’ll never explain, something miraculous, and unpresident, she acknowledged me and it was on from there, we were off and running, this must be what love feels like, lady won’t you just make it all make it worth it, I think you might like it too, but what do I know, my name’s Billy Wylde and I’ll be here all night if you need a stamp or a charm, or a smirk with some smarm. I only go up, no sense in the down, if you’re looking for a ride, I’ve got a bote around the corner and if things don’t go well toss me in the river and make me think about every mistake I’ve ever made swearing to God that this torture must be love.  

 

I think if we don’t feel the heat, fire, and shrapnel of the bomb’s red glare, it must not have been real.  

BANG  

Goddammit Tommy, pick yourself up man. I’m doing art over here.  

Comments

[murielle]

Oh! I love this!

It's got rhyme and crazy fantastic rhythm and it's all over the place in my face...wait for it...poetry!

Excellent! (I have a huge 😃 on my face!)

[uselesstinrelic]

I absolutely don't get it, but I truly enjoyed every moment of reading it.

It was really fun not knowing what was coming next. I could tell there was some amount of levity, and some things that felt particularly weighty and likely layered in meanings you'd selected. I partly wanted to understand, and partly enjoyed not.

The not understanding also helped so many sections be unexpected. Of course, you chose really unexpected and contradictory things as well. The compounding surprises were so much of what made it fun to read.

I wish I could get my head around how you decided where to go for each next part because I found that, after reading it, I wished I could get my head around that level of literary freedom in my own writing. I think it'd be rad to create something like this myself.

As it currently stands, I'll just have to enjoy yours. :> And it was, very much so.

[megatronix]

I have no idea what I just read, but dang if it wasn't a fun and wild ride! I really enjoyed this. I like the snippets of lyrics with bits of scenery and this feel of following a story, even though I didn't necessarily follow it, per se. Hehe! This is super intriguing, and I like it very much!

[megatronix]

P.S. What's with the "bote." Gary said something about a "bote" and now here it is in this piece, and I'm very confused. Is this a long standing Idol in-joke or something? My curiosity is very piqued!

[bsgsix]

Ahh, Billy Wylde. I see where you were going with this, and caught some of the rhyming, as well as the stream-of-consciousness that really took hold toward the end.

I have to admit that I was a bit confused and found some of this to be scattered, but perhaps that was the point? The torture that is love is a theme I've seen in other entries, so it absolutely works for keel hauling, but there was a bit of a disconnect for me. If that's the intent, then I feel for you. I just want to make certain I'm not missing anything, especially with that rushed pace at the end.

But I like how you had the rhyme scheme, the torment of being dragged by love, and I found the Bowie call-out kind of important here. The Starman missing a "B." That seemed very personal. <3

[minikin25]

The voice man. This piece pulled me and kept me going. This voice screaming’ out at me. Did you watch American Gods? This piece would fit right into it.

[gunwithoutmusic]

I liked this! Like, so freaking much.

It's got a very A Clockwork Orange feel to it in the language and the stream-of-conscious writing. I feel like I was able to follow along pretty well the first time, but this is one of those that benefits from repeated readings, from really getting into the mind of the narrator and going with his flow. I thought it was beautiful and heartbreaking; you're so good at that and it breaks my heart even more to know that you've gotta be so good at it because you know the feeling so well. This was really good, B.

[adoptedwriter]

Bizarre but amusing. 🤣

[halfshellvenus]

Hahahaha-- I always get such a kick out of Billy Wylde, and this really seemed like his groove.

Now I'm wondering what an addiction to 'Phillopino polka' might be, unless it's an addiction to bad music.

The ending was absolutely-damn-fabulous. :D

[wolfden]

It really does have that feel to it

[wolfden]

This was a wild ride. I definitely see why minikin25 is reminded of American Gods. Well done.

[n3m3sis43]

I never fully know what's going on in your Billy Wylde pieces but I think maybe that's the point? Enjoyable read and really distinctive voice, though! :)

[alycewilson]

This voice is so magic. I don't need to understand every word he says to feel like I get it.