Ask The Author: Matthew Mogavero

In November, this poem titled “Man Who Lost His Wife at the Knife-Throwing Show” by Matthew Mogavero. Matthew gives us some answeres here.

1. How could you lose your wife at a gun show?

Girls don’t like guns.

2. What is your weapon of choice?

A hammer. Actually, I’m gonna list everything I imagined killing people with: a hammer, a screwdriver, a machete, a shovel, a crowbar, a piece of metal rod from a fence, a rebar, a broken bottle, my fingers, my heels, a brick, and uh… a knife. Happy? A knife.

3. Have you ever dated someone just for research purposes?

Isn’t that what dating starts out as? Then after ascertaining what you can from the observations you decide if you want it to continue or reach its quietus.

4. What meal would you serve during a break up dinner?

Anything from this site.

5. Where did this poem come from?

The idea of it came from a mixture of things. I was reading a Wikipedia article about knife-throwing around the time I began it, but this one line from a Les Claypool song that says something like “in a crowd of people he stands alone” made me think of the idea of losing one in the crowd or up on stage at the stuntman’s hands (or knives I guess). The theme of loneliness weaves through the rest of it.

6. What is/would you want to be the first song you dance to at your wedding?

Girls don’t like weddings.