John Burgess
John Burgess grew up in upstate New York, worked on a survey crew in Montana, taught English in Japan, and since 1985 has lived in Seattle. A 2006 Jack Straw writer, he has six books of poetry from Ravenna Press. He’s a co-instigator with the Band of Poets.
2024 Jack Straw Alumni Poetry Series:
Punk Poems Complete collects together for the first time all 100 punk poems John Burgess wrote between 1999 and 2022. The new book has a new section, For the Record, which gathers his uncollected poems from 1999-2005, including “Homeland Security” and “Advice for the Next Generation of Punks.”
Punk Poem 92
It was your guitar
That first bit me
Before eating
My ears
Before I felt
Your tongue
Lick my mind
That chewed
10 times before
I was swallowed
