Pizazz

Poetry by James Gering

Twilight takes me into the gorge for my nightly beer rations.

On my return, Bella does a double take and shrieks:

‘Honey! There’s a bloated black sluggy thing on your cheek!’

The thing is a leech having hitched a ride from my stash on a bottle

of beer. The leech has established a beachhead and is growing

in force and repulsion with every suck. I have to salt the blighter

and lever it off. Blood drips, Bella baulks. Will she ever kiss

me again? My anxiety is as palpable as the leech,

until I douse it with all the pizazz in a bottle of stout.

BIO: James Gering, poet, diarist and short story writer, has received various international awards for his stories and poems. Journals featuring his work include Rattle, San Pedro River Review and Blood and Bourbon. His first collection of poetry, Staying Whole While Falling Apart, was released by Interactive Press in 2021. His second collection, Tickets to the Fall of Icarus, was released by the same publisher in December 2023. James lives in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. There he climbs the cliffs and hikes the trails in search of wisdom and emotional truth. He welcomes visitors at jamesgering.com.