Duel on the Island

by Nate Pritts

Hidden: a meticulous list
of the many secret weapons I’ve stashed on my island.

Whatever the situation, I can quickly locate
my best defense. So come at me

with your giant, mutated attack whales
& I’ll shrink them to tadpoles, keep them

in a glass of water & sometimes threaten
to flush them down the toilet. Drift by

on your plush & righteous flying carpet; watch
as all your pronouncements unravel in midair.

There isn’t much that will surprise me.
Each medal pinned to my chest stands for a time

I got the better of somebody who tried
to get the better of me, baby.

What bothers me are the empty spots,
a different kind of badge: the misses, the failings.

Loss. In my quest to become insurmountable, to be
the strongest, the one thing no one can get past,

I’ve had a few set-backs. When you come at me, come quickly.
Bring any weapons you want. I’m ready.

But when you leave, leave forever. I have a feeling
& I’d rather be alone.


Nate Pritts took his BS at SUNY Brockport, his MFA from Warren Wilson College and his Ph.D. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Currently, he teaches at the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts, a residential high school for gifted students,& at Northwestern State University. His poems have recently appeared in Rattle, Cimarron Review, Solo, Dogwood and 5am.

Nate Pritts was nominated for Poets Under 30 by the storySouth editors.