Wednesday, March 19, 2014

read me aloud

and i had to admit
to her the extent of it. say
my name to her and
explain to her that

yes, i am ingesting red today;
           at midnight i cut my finger
           sewing together newspapers
           that i wanted to wrap your present
           in with twine.  i wanted to
           put a poem on the inside of the
           comic strip, but i couldn't write
           over the colors on the pages so
           i wrote it on the obituaries.
           i don't find death very creative
           so it started with 'roses' and ended with 'blue'
           and everything in between felt like
           a prepositional phrase. then i wrapped
           the present wrong so the poem
           wasn't even hidden. i picked it
           up and threw it
           out of my car window on the
           eight east and told myself
           that someday i'll be good enough.
           i cut my finger and i licked off the blood.
         
           that was when i started swallowing my rouge.
                      They put hot sauce on my burrito
                      even though I ordered a taco and
                      asked for guacamole
                      they gave me a burrito with salsa
                      and i thought that a scene at
                      the taco shop seemed unnecessary
                      so I told my mom that we should
                      probably just go.

                       my parents have been married for twenty-five years
                                          so they got an edible bouquet which i
                                          picked through for the chocolate-covered
                                          strawberries as i poured myself a bottle of
                                          merlot and sat in front of a blank sheet
                                          of paper and wondered if i will still be able
                                          to manage to love you more every day than
                                          the day before in twenty-five years.
                                          probability says that i will have died.
                                          but the breeze in my bedroom just smelled
                                          like you.

                                          isn't it funny how it seems like my bed is
                                                               just my size--crimson and sized just right--
                                                               and then i remember how nice you looked
                                                               lying by my side and i turn off the
                                                               light and i let you become an almost-tangible
                                                               almost-figure in my almost-
                                                               sleepless night.


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