Honorable Mention, Academy of American Poets Prize — Patrick Bateman is My Hero by Austin Shay

Runner-up for the 2017 Penn State Harrisburg
Sgt. Robert J. Miller Poetry Prize
From the Academy of American Poets

Patrick Bateman is My Hero

The world cannot seem to understand the struggles
of being a wealthy young man
living in New York City.
I have spent the better portion of my life developing
myself to have a rock hard chiseled body and structured face,
and pursuing my American dream.
My dream might not be the most traditional
but I have already achieved success as an investment banker.
The murdering is the only thing that keeps me from losing control.
Their blood that splatters across my face as I move my knife
slowly in and out of their back,
reminds me of the times that my father
would discipline me as a child.
The screams of women when I start to suffocate
them right after we fucked
are orgasmic.
It all gets me aroused and prepares me for round two
when their pulse stops.
My American dream only feeds my obsession with perfection
and that is the reason
that myself, Patrick Bateman, is my hero.

 

Austin Shay is a senior English major serving his third year on the magazine. He was the Fiction Editor. He has had work published in The Burg, Komorebi, Zaum, and Klio. His poem was a runner-up in the PSH Academy of American Poets Prize for 2017.