The Collapsar publishes new poetry, fiction, and nonfiction every other month, and new culture writing weekly.

Three Poems by Holly Painter

 

Photo Credit: Agkistrodon Piscivorus

.SURFIN' SAFARI

 

Just try it once, okay? All the cool kids are doing it We’re the big game hunters of the sea

We’re out there at dawn because we’re that hardcore Watching hotties saunter by in bikinis I’m getting an erection, but I’ll call it my car Load up those boards and sing

Are you watching, girl? We’re surfing

There are some really impressive surfers At Huntington, Malibu, and Rincon We’ll be hunting for waves in the islands this year You can come, but, I mean, only if you want to

I know the names of some foreign places If there’s surfing there Like Laguna, Cerro Azul, Dohini, Peru Surfing’s really taking off as a sport It feels good to be part of something bigger than myself

Are you watching, girl? We’re surfing

Just try it once, okay? All the cool kids are doing it We’re the big game hunters of the sea

 

 

409

 

My car’s like a woman And she’s unbelievably sexy

I’ve been collecting coins Since the day I was born Saving up to buy a my own 409 And not a used one either This one’s from the dealership

Other cars are much slower They can’t get near my car When I take her to the track, I’m especially proud Because my 409 wins all the races And I get to tell the other lads about her specs

Go faster, you equine beauty! Faster, faster, 409! Faster, 409! Faster, faster, 409! Faster, 409!

Other cars are much slower They can’t get near my car

 

 

LITTLE DEUCE COUPE

 

Hey babe, I’m being serious, so hear me out I drive the fastest car in the tri-county area When I’m stopped at a light, no one wants to race me Because this thing’s like a rocket, but horizontal

She’s my mid-sized car And she’s faster than you’d think

She’s just your standard 1932 Ford But she flies by a Thunderbird so fast it appears stationary I’ve done a lot of work to her body, got her weight down So now she reaches a top speed of 140 mph

She’s my mid-sized car And she’s faster than you’d think

She has a ceramic clutch for increased friction And an engine that’s soft until I tell it to roar And if you still don’t believe my car’s better than yours Well then, let’s race, winner take both cars

She’s my mid-sized car And she’s faster than you’d think

...

Holly Painter lives and writes in Singapore with her wife. These poems are from "My Pet Sounds Off," an English-to-English translation project of the Beach Boys' top 40 hits. Holly also writes love poetry for besotted folks around the world at adoptapoet.wordpress.com.

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