Something Bad

I want to write something bad -
not bad as in devoid of manners
or lacking in morals or decency
but something quite extraordinary
in its neurotic compulsive conduct -
something desperate and unpleasant
yet quite remote from a spoof or a song -
not gory or gut-churning or bilious.
I shall submit the finished piece
for publication into the finest
journals of the world and beyond.
I’ve stirred in the toxic ingredients -
crystal shards and swans’ gizzards
bills of lading and steel girders
velvet bow ties and winkle pickers
trammelled and tied with rhubarb leaves
and left to marinade in a snake pit.
You have likely quit reading by now
as you grab another rejection slip.
Never write about writing, you say.
I could always try for the Eliot Prize.

~Coral~