Last Night
We curled around one another
and let the night drift
in through the window
and wash over us
watched the lights go out
one by one. Soon
we were alone in the darkness
and we kissed.
One Final Elegy for Laura
What little self-respect
you garnered
from sex with your pusher
died
after the 57th trackmark
formed on your arm
a little gas station money
did what spreading your legs used to
and you can still get high
without his cock in you
quick—out of state
he won’t be able to find you
in Ohio
and you got a friend there
who’ll put you up
that last Esso station
clerk said he’d give you money
to fuck him
so you started the tricks
it’s like gas stations
but no one gets hurt
dumb 17-year-old
blowjobs twenty bucks a pop
she made enough
one night
to buy too much
end of story
Overeating at the Devil’s Buffet
Lavender stuffed in the turkey
skin, broccoli and onions
minced into a stuffing for acorn
squash. This country is unfamiliar
with cheese, but almonds
suffice in a pinch. Every bean
is a different color and the mustard
is ground with cornflower
to get that perfect blue.
The guests arrive, eyes
dead, cupcake frosting
on their fingers. The maître d’
shows them to the back
room. Wine is poured,
thick, clotted. The speeches
are only moments away.
The Scars on Your Wrist Tell the same Damn Tale Every Day
two more pounds
of ice lowered
onto your back.
you ask
for a cigarette
break.
Waiting
Maybe, in some other world, we’re together.
Here in America, we wait, miles apart,
for the moment we can first touch,
the first meeting
of fingers and tongues.
My hand on the phone caresses you
my voice washes you clean
like a baby in the River Styx.
Relax, close your eyes
and let me whisper in your ear
we’ll be together soon