an on-line poetry magazine
for the 21st century
Bill Gainer
LIGHTING CIGARETTES
She has a Zippo
and knows how to use it.
Lights her own
cigarettes
the occasional candle
for an ex-lover –
the stove when it was cold.
Flicks it open
and closed
when nervous.
Keeps the edge
of the lid
sharp
good for drawing
blood
when the answer
is no.
Bill Gainer is a storyteller, humorist, an award winning poet, and a maker of mysterious things. He earned his BA from St. Mary’s College and his MPA from the University of San Francisco. He is the publisher of the PEN Award winning R. L. Crow Publications and is the ongoing host of Red Alice’s Poetry Emporium (Grass Valley, CA). His latest book is: “The Mysterious Book of Old Man Poems.”