Tuesday Poem - 'from Mr Clean & The Junkie' by Jennifer Compton

Mr Clean & The Junkie

(Mr Clean & The Junkie is imagined as a film script, and is about a

young man called Jon Klein who works as a money launderer at the

casino for his father, a local crime boss. He is stuck in a winning streak.

But then he meets Justine who is a gambling junkie and who loves to lose.)

from The journey begins

Jon knuckles down and, with a nod and a glance

from Clancy his croupier, manages to lose

twenty grand by morning smoko.

He sighs with relief

and indicates

he is going to take a break.

As he strolls out of the building

under the starlit ceiling,

he sees The Junkie walking towards him.

Not towards him. Towards the entrance.

She has crossed the road. She walks straight past him.

And she tries to keep it going past the security guard.

But he has her by the elbow. She goes down on her knees.

Lenny in the bunker pulls up her face on all his screens.

The guard who has four sisters and hates this place,

gets her upright with a gentle fist, points to the street.

Lenny shrugs and makes her disappear.

He's sad because … he's sad.

She makes a strange gesture with her head that's

hard to read. As if she is wringing her own neck.

She walks backwards away from everything she craves.

The camera that tracks her retreating, now turns,

like the ravenous eye that it is,

onto Jon, watching him watching her go.

That's just a taster for you to be getting on with.

Now I am off for 3 weeks (April 15 – 30) to New Zealand to launch

my verse novella Mr Clean & The Junkie which is being published

by Makaro Press as part of their Hoopla series along with Bryan

Walpert's Native Bird and Carolyn McCurdie's Bones In The Octogon.

Three launches!

Palmerston North City Library – 6-30 pm – Thursday 16^th April

Wellington -The Fringe Bar Allen Street (just off Courtenay Place)

4pm – Sunday 19^th April

Dunedin Public Library – 5-30 pm – Wednesday 22^nd April

And my good mate Coral Carter is coming along for the ride and we

are going to do some readings together.

Wellington

Monday 20^th April

NZ Poetry Society Reading - Thistle Inn 3 Mulgrave St Wellington City 7-30 pm

Sunday 26^th April

Poets To The People - Hightide Cafe 44 Marine Parade Paraparaoumu Beach 4pm

Dunedin

Wednesday 22^nd April

Circadian Rhythm Cafe – 8pm

Auckland

Tuesday 28^th April

The Thirsty Dog – 469 Karangehape Road 7pm

Wednesday 29^th April

Lounge – Old Government House cnr Princes St/ Waterloo Quadrant 5-30 – 7pm

http://www.makaropress.co.nz/makaro-books/the-hoopla-series/