Poems by Damon Thomas

Strange Associations

As teens we had no cable. Few in our small town did. So VHS movies played on a loop. Friends would only have a few tapes. This created strange associations. Freaks, A Clockwork Orange, and The Last Unicorn in a camper trailer. A mirror over the bed. A friend had Drop Dead Fred
as his first make out movie. A creepy Rik Mayall cheering him on.

Every Machine Made Noise

One summer I worked in a factory. Packing medical tubes. It was easy work. But loud. From whirs to clangs. Every machine made noise. Some liked it though. One guy shouted that he’d rather have the machines. Than listen to his own thoughts. Then went back to packing. And never spoke again.

Speaking Ill Of The Dead

A rich man dug up a paupers’ grave. Down on the Dixie coast. Bodies found washed up on the shore were moved inland. And the rich got richer. People talked haunting. They spoke of ghosts. But that man lived a long life. Dedicated to the pursuit of material gain. Then died himself. There was no Divine retribution. No supernatural justice. Just a lot of people
speaking ill of the dead.

A Monument To Bad Times

My Tennessee family had storm shelters. Dug into hillsides before I was born. All unused as I saw them. Just shelters for spiders. A monument to bad times. When fear had people digging. Trying to stay safe.

He Had A Fast Motorcycle

A couple shared a nursing home room. The wife had terminal cancer. Her husband was very confused. He told all visitors the same story. About how he once had a fast motorcycle. That would get you from here to there “before you could hoot.” His wife of 50 years died. But he never noticed. Just talked about his motorcycle. And we could never decide. If this was a blessing. Or a curse.

Damon Thomas is a spoken word artist, author, and graphic novelist known for his writing on life in Dixie County, Florida and his exploration of the Southern Gothic genre. He’s released numerous albums and books, including a graphic novel called “More Snakes Than People: A Rural Gloom Graphic Novel.”