Bio
Demond J Blake is a warehouse associate who has traveled the country working odd jobs, writing and meeting various artists, musicians and nonconformists living life on the fringes of society. He lives in Colton, CA with his wife and teenage son. Demond is currently seeking publication for an essay collection entitled ‘The Spiritual Matrix,’ ‘Slackass’ his first novel, and ‘Pay Me the Penny After’ his first collection of poetry.
Trigger Warning
Riding my bike
Home from work
Late @ night
It was the end
Of the month
And I had end
Of the month
Worries on my
Mind
A squad car on
The opposite
Side of the street
Whipped by
Well, cops
sometimes
like to fly
through my
neighborhood
like it’s GTA
but then I
remembered
it was the end
of the month
when cops start
trying to ticket
up people to
meet some
clandestine
quota
Just then the
Squad car lights
Hit and this
Young cop hops
Out of the car
w/gusto
He shined his
Flashlight in
My grill and
Began
Questioning
Me
“Where you headed?”
“Home.”
“Where’s home?”
“Around the corner.”
“Where you coming from?”
“Work in San Bernardino.”
“You rode yr bike
all the way from San
Bernardino?”
(My gig was only
3 miles from my
House so I didn’t
Think it was
A big deal)
“I do it
every night”
“Ever been arrested?”
“No”
“So if I ran yr i.d.
I wouldn’t get a
Hit?”
“No”
My patience was
Running
dangerously
thin
He stopped shining
His light in my
Face and I got
A good look
At Him
Of course, he’d
Be a young cop
So wet behind
The ears he was
Leaving a puddle
Around his shoes
His mustache was
Carefully trimmed
With a perfect
Crewcut you
Could set yr
Watch to
He started shaking
his head
“I’m not gonna
Screw w/you, I
Didn’t become
A cop to pull
Over bikers!”
But of course
You pulled me
Over anyway
I thought to
Myself as he
Got into his
Squad car and
Sped away
I looked at
The puddle
His ears left
Spat in it
Then rode
Home