Higher speed (run away)
Action-packed (we must leave quickly)
Wild thrills (we can’t stay here);
In a movement (time is precious)
Sudden danger (look for exits)
Pure excitement (don’t buy that).
Grim suspense (move out and quickly)
Burst of sound (refuse to listen)
Modern heroes (hide your face)
And femme fatales (and hide your feelings).
Rippling muscles (keep your shirt on)
Bathing beauties (get the towel)
Scary beasts (hunt for dinner)
Floating bodies (pull the plug);
Leaps of courage (hide the net)
Through the air (I just can’t breathe).
A blast of light (now close your eyes)
A burst of color (going blind)
A sudden shock (I just can’t move);
A burst of thunder (going deaf)
Rising tension (getting worried)
Too much moving (hurl my body)
Off the center (think I’m falling)
Burn on impact (think I’m dead).
— Marc Rubin
Hoboken, N.J
To submit your work for consideration for the Back Page’s Poetry Section, e-mail poet Christine Goodman at info@arthouseproductions.org. Each poem should be no longer than 40 lines. Please include “Back Page poem” in the subject line.