.
The Incredible Hulk Tries to Write a Poem
but his cucumber fingers
keep getting in the way
He smashed the keyboard
all to hell and pencils
mean broken lead and splinters
Pens make a mess that nobody
wants to clean up
Hulk is used to it
He’s made so many messes
There’s that boy he kissed and then turned away
There was a woman before Betty who got tired
of dishes thrown against the wall and Bruce’s
wails of agony. It’s just too much, she said
Hulk has so much he wants to say
It lives and breathes inside his green skin
where it will stay for what might
as well be eternity
He wants to write a love poem for Betty Ross
He wants to write 1,000 poems of apology
for Betty and all the rest left in the wake of his anger
If he could just write his way out of this
entire mess, untangle this knot
maybe they would forgive him, he thinks
But Bruce knows forgiveness isn’t
given easily and if it comes
it’s not going to be the result
of a goddamn poem
Forgiveness comes through silence
or doesn’t come at all.
.
About the Author: Daniel Crocker is the author of three collections of poetry, a novel, and a collection of short stories. His latest book, Shit House Rat, was published in 2017 by Spartan Press. His book Like a Fish is available from Sundress Publications, and his e-chap, The One Where I Ruin Your Childhood, can be downloaded for free from the Sundress site. His work has appeared in New World Writing, The Good Men Project, The Chiron Review, The Kentucky Review and over 100 others. He’s the editor of The Cape Rock, co-editor of Trailer Park Quarterly and the Co-host of the Sanesplaining podcast.
Check out our interview with Daniel Crocker on his book of Hulk poems, “Gamma Rays.”
More Hulk poetry by Daniel Crocker:
As It Ought To Be 