Poetry: “My Main Squeeze” by Jeremy Cantor
Jeremy Cantor’s poem, “My Main Squeeze,” was originally submitted for our Hermit Crab Challenge, and although it didn’t end up taking home the prize, the poem was so memorable we at Frontier just couldn’t let it go. Irreverent and playful, Cantor gives us a cheeky nudge in all kinds of imaginative directions, and the poem withholds in just the right ways, leading the reader to come up with their own stories and timelines, the best kind of offering for a poet looking to stand out from the pack. Poetry is often associated with unchecked emotion and drama, but poets need to laugh just like everyone else.
Humane Society’s 2021 list of people who have died from “large constrictor snake related
incidents” in the United States since 1978.
Four babies sleeping in their cribs
Unsuspecting people
Experienced reptile handlers and novices alike
All of the giant constrictors have demonstrated an appetite for dogs
Frightened residents have discovered
Constrictor-snakes have found warmth and shelter
Constrictor-snakes have been spotted sunning themselves
Police departments have issued community alerts
Pet constrictor-snakes may suffer from starvation
Firefighters already risk their lives
Authorities have confiscated
A teen reaching for her alarm clock
A 15-foot, 140-pound Burmese python brought to a Halloween party
A family filed a $50,000 lawsuit
A teenager making lemonade started screaming
Jeremy Cantor
Jeremy Cantor’s debut poetry collection, Wisteria From Seed, with a foreword by former Boston Globe arts critic Michael Manning, was published in 2015 by Kelsay Books. His work has been performed at the Boston Conservatory (set to music by composer Dr. Robert Gross) as well as in San Francisco and Tucson. Jeremy began writing after retiring from a career in laboratory chemistry. He has made and tested engine oil additives, detergents and pharmaceuticals, driven a forklift, worked in a full-body acid-proof hazmat suit, tried to keep his fingers working in a walk-in freezer at -40°F and worked behind radiation shielding. He prefers writing.
