I Don’t Know Why He Mumbles in Group
But he does. Maybe they are prayers for
his insanity to be extinguished. Either way,
he’s always shushed by counselors for causing
a distraction. He likes to offer erroneous trivia
about his favorite band, The Beatles—and he
always stands corrected by others. After 30
years of sobriety, the only coping skill he has
to share about is drinking a nice hot cup of
coffee and to just say no. He yawns frequently,
a stage yawn, three syllables—ho ho ho, and
always when other members of the group process
graphic, sensitive material regarding their traumas.
He always sings the Ringo Starr song,
“No we don’t smoke it no more” but I think
the sonofabitch still does, he’s so out of it
with every false claim he offers as informed
wisdom of the kind of senior citizen he is not,
especially when it’s prejudices against gays
and misguided political statements informed
by his church and not his understanding
of state, or his understanding of anything.
He drew a card in a game of Trivial Pursuit
during Friday’s recreational therapy class
with the question “Which Pop Diva
Famously Smooched Britney Spears
and Christina Aguilera at the MTV Video
Music Awards?” an irony which made
some of us other members of the group
share a knowing laugh while we all cringed.
He forgot to grow up before his failure
to act like he knows what he’s talking about.
Plus, he whistles. He’s asking for enemies.
Mini-interview by Kevin Ridgeway
HFR: Can you share a moment that has shaped you as a writer (or continues to)?
KR: When I first met Dr. Gerald Locklin, who had given a reading at a small college in my area years ago. The straightforward, sharp humanity of his poetry inspired me to pursue my writing seriously, and especially my poetry. He encouraged me over the years and taught me many priceless lessons. He was one of those early people who gave me wings. I will always be indebted to him and his good influence.
HFR: What are you reading?
KR: Someday There Will Be Machine Shops Full of Roses by Fred Voss (Smokestack Books), one of the best poets writing today about blue-collar life and the human condition, a maestro to me.
HFR: Can you tell us what prompted “I Don’t Know Why He Mumbles in Group”?
KR: I often find myself in the company of interesting people, and in this case it was a difficult individual who I found quite irksome. After a friend made the suggestion, I set out to work on a poem that would bring this annoying person to life.
HFR: What’s next? What are you working on?
KR: I’m working on a full-length manuscript of poems called The Death of the Coppertone Girl and am slowly touring the United States, giving poetry readings and meeting more strange people who’ll likely appear in a future poem or two.
HFR: Take the floor. Be political. Be fanatical. Be anything. What do you want to share?
KR: Gratitude to my good friend, Pablo, for begging me to write this poem.
Kevin Ridgeway’s books include Too Young to Know (Stubborn Mule Press) and Invasion of the Shadow People (Luchador Press). His work has appeared in The Paterson Literary Review, Slipstream, Chiron Review, Nerve Cowboy, Main Street Rag, San Pedro River Review, Spillway, Plainsongs, The Cape Rock, Trailer Park Quarterly, and The American Journal of Poetry, among others. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, he lives and writes in Long Beach, CA.
Check out HFR’s book catalog, publicity list, submission manager, and buy merch from our Spring store. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube. Disclosure: HFR is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Sales from Bookshop.org help support independent bookstores and small presses.
Heavy Feather Review 