1413

no need to call the authorities

the sheriff wears wife beaters

and smoked Jamaican cigars

and has his shirt tucked in

all the time

so no need

we’ll behave

and we know what’s best for us

trust us

us screaming

top of our lungs

is only normal

routine to us

–

was supposed to chat you up

over AOL instant messenger

but you logged

off before we could chat

so I pretended to be a young man

in a chat room for young men

and thought about

the air conditioner on my arms

as we created the exit ramp

and the blue glint of steel

peaking out of the concrete like

diamonds

–

the game comes on

the hammer comes down

and I’m asking the bartender

how to get a drink

and goddamn

how long do I wait

for a check up

or to ask what a forbearance is

–

I’m creating little hills

and ascending little hills

make sure the record

says I can ski

–

and the shit

that comes to mind when

I write these

like you on your knees

in your mother’s kitchen

and I’m raising my hand

for a cab

after the tumbler drains

and I don’t see straight

and the marbles

pour out my mouth like

gold medals for

our second daughter on her

twelfth birthday

me wary

of the guard casing the grounds

with his eyes off the scene

–

I’m figuring out the living

room arrangement

and the way the couch should go

what’s the best way to make love

on a Monday evening

when the pasta isn’t good

I’m asking for a friend

–

raising money for the sledgehammers

in my house

in the bed next door

again

again

oh forget it

it’s happening again