provocation
everyone in my father’s town drives a tesla
and pays alimony
and steps on butterflies
and picks ticks off their bred dogs
and pays off their inbred kids
and lets the dust collect on their artistic porno magazines
and sucks on fat cigars
and has a second phone
and has a first wife
and forgets how to dance
and is over prescribed medication for their hypochondria
and fakes a smile
and hands their credit card over without looking at the bill
and forgets their grandmother’s name
and drinks themself into oblivion
and loves the screech of a baby’s cry
and is horrible at jeopardy
and is late to the nail salon
and smells too sweet
and mistakes nervousness for anxiety
and pulls out their eyelashes
and always arrives at funerals on time
and recommends surgeons
and knows the best scotch
and screams into pillows
and hides their scars
and clicks their heels out of the principal’s office
and hides lace panties in their desk drawer
and needs an extra shot of espresso
and makes sure you pronounce it as espresso and not “expresso”
and chews on their gums
and offers their nephew a job
and pats their niece on the back
and whitens their teeth
and hangs metal frames over the holes in their walls
and skips meals
but they never say god’s name in vain.
***********************************************************************************************
mary( )
memories wrapped in cellophane
and tied with a bow
of evening licking her tongue over the city
i hope you have forgiven
the taste of
agonizing and perfect fear
i left in your mouth
though, it was once delicious
a feast-filled night
rots inside us now
an unwelcome vivarium
forever branded behind our temples
wishing to remain as
the friction inside of your jeans
knowing hope is futile
goodbye, troubled dreamer
