80’s Night


Some asshole is dancing way too close
to her. The club isn't full yet,
a dozen or so kids sway to the strobe
light bouncing off the wall-length mirror.

Skinny white arms syncopating the beat
of your breath. And you're counting
dollar bills ahead of time, cotton mouth
so strong you're coughing up hair balls.

The bartender finally wanders over,
white towel wrapped around his neck
like a boa constrictor, nods your way.
You place the order, throw five bucks

on the counter, as "Bizarre Love Triangle"
takes over the airwaves. A hundred kids
rush the dance floor, hide her from view.
So you grab the bottles, one in each fist,

force your way through the gauntlet,
and slam the green glass against his cheek,
pooling blood and suds across your favorite
shirt. A blue oxford you'll scrub for hours

until there's nothing left but a faint stain
the exact size of your heart.

2-Down


He's all she can talk about lately. Some new hire at work
straight out of CMU, economics BS. You know

the type: Family summers upstate, prep school legacy,
corduroy jackets even when it's raining.

Robert watches her scrape carrot skins into a grocery bag,
as rice boils in the cooker they bought on layaway.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Pittsburgh’s hotter than Georgia asphalt, so after
dinner they lie naked in an ice-cubed bathtub,

solve crossword puzzles aloud. An old metal fan
shivers and shakes in the corner.

Sadie shifts her weight, leans down against
his frame. Robert doesn't know how long he can

handle the pressure. Cold beer and vicodin
pass the time. They always do.

Hell With the Lid Off

There’s something wrong with this season. Please don’t ask me
why. It’s hotter than it’s been since the 90s. All the grass is brown;
the leaves they are a-changing. Months too soon. I don’t know how
to make you feel better, but I’m dying inside to. Make it better.
There are things I can’t talk about that would make it somewhat so.
What I’m doing is absurd, it’s true. The funny thing is, when I
realize I’m writing for you it all goes wrong. Well, not wrong but
not smashingly. I know you know what I mean. So I talk about
______ even though my friends tells me stop it. I can’t, obviously.