Bitch With A Bad Mouth

A series of found poems using:
Michael Odaantje’s “The Collected Works of Billy the Kids”
Sarah Messer’s “Bandit Letters”


1.
Wife of Outlaw
They call me Bitch with a Bad Mouth
Back to the whiskey
The acid burning my gums and tongue on the way out
She is a woman, young, barely fourteen
Imagine your ghost at my bedside
Overlooked form of murder in the West
Darker than saddle leather
Blood a necklace all my life
The way they look at her; it was a need
The man who trained me; like an illness
Her voice like a birds egg in her throat crackling
They fornicated: his tongue a shard of ice between your teeth
Slow slide into adultery
The worst of the worst
Her hands; poking the gun through the planks
Like Annie Oakley, she aims
A sting on your very best thing
Do you know him? William Bonney? Caught history
The best money; to put my hands upon
Staggering in the dark



2.
Back to the whiskey: it was a need
The acid burning my gums and tongue on the way out
Her voice like a birds egg in her throat crackling

Slow slide into adultery
The worst of the worst
Wife of outlaw caught history
Overlooked form of murder in the West

She is a woman, young, barely fourteen
Darker than saddle leather
They fornicated: his tongue a shard of ice between your teeth
The man who trained me; like an illness
The way they look at her
Do you know him?

Imagine my hands upon your ghost at

Like Annie Oakley, she aims
Her hands; poking the gun through the planks
William Bonney; staggering in the dark
A sting on your very best thing
They call me Bitch with a Bad Mouth



3.
Whiskey; it’s a need
The acid burning my gums and tongue on the way out
His voice like a birds egg crackling in my ears

Slow slide into adultery
The worst of the worst
Wife of outlaw caught history
Overlooked form of murder in the West

She is a woman, barely fourteen; darker than saddle leather
The man who trained me; we fornicated.
His tongue a shard of ice between my teeth
The way he looks at me; like an illness
Do you know him?
Staggering in the dark: William Bonney.
My hands upon his ghost.


Poking a gun through the planks
Like Annie Oakley, she aims

A sting on your very best thing
They call me Bitch with a Bad Mouth


4.
Murder in the West
Wife of outlaw caught history
A woman, barely fourteen; darker than saddle leather
The worst of the worst

His voice; a bird’s egg crackling
We fornicated: his tongue a shard of ice between my teeth
The way he looks at me:
Burning like whiskey on the way out
Slow slide into adultery

That man staggering in the dark
Do you know him?
William Bonney?

My hands, poking a gun through the planks
Aiming, I am Annie Oakley

A sting on his very best thing
They call me Bitch with a Bad Mouth