Julie Chevalier’s short-story collection, Permission to Lie, was published by Spineless Wonders in 2011. Two poetry collections are forthcoming from Puncher & Wattmann: linen tough as history, and Darger: his girls.
haunted girl lines my pocket with headlines
girl sends me off forever but to sing novena sends me girl sends me off forever girl
sends me to hospital girl reveals the clinic girl sends me spelling didn’t send the
question girls sends off clouds from the window sends me off forever the ward where I
was washing a girl but washing the floor wanted girl sends me a blossom on a lunch
tray girl sends dead bouquet in the rubbish a pissing patient girl gave newspapers send
me off girls forever sang about girl forever off girls but moving girls send girls away
forever snow didn’t girl didn’t sends me axe to shave stopped broke the food trolley
coming girl sends me off
& dribbled catsup on his clean shirt april 12, 1972
as soon as mr darger left for mass yeah, four times a day i sneaked into his room & grabbed the clothes off
his chair really hot water & extra scoops of lux out of the bendix & pegged to the line david suggested the
goofy old coot take a bath no siree we brazillians don’t like to bathe in winter april 12, hardly of course
he’s not brazillian i ironed the clothes dry while he was in the tub the old man grimaced when we yelled
surprise happy birthday just us lodgers & the landlords in the yard he bent down to pick up a rusty bottle
cap & could hardly stand up again leaned on a chair & stared at the clouds he fed hot dog sandwiches to the
landlord’s dog the only thing he said was the good lord always claps thunder on my birthday i wouldn’t say
grateful for the angel cake, no three pieces my seven minute icing the new tube pan didn’t stick the dog
followed him halfway up the stairs to his room