emory bacon

emory bacon
lived two houses down
and drank moonshine from
plastic gallon milk jugs
he only wore overalls
and kept a very messy house
when I was younger playing in the yard
I heard an explosion and saw the rise
of a huge column of orange and black flame
upon rushing to his aid
I found him on his back
with a lawn mower engine
just in front of him
still ablaze
drunken thrashing
trying to get up
mumbling goddamn
over and over
his eyebrows were gone
and one of his old saggy
wrinkled titties looked
a bit charred
dangling out the side of
his bib
I rarely have ever laughed
this hard