aayoungthere i was
upper middle class
grocery store fabulous
smelling of expensive perfume
made from the tears of persian cats
shopping in heels
where everything costs more
for hubris’ sake
giggling amidst the pork tenderloins
thinking about the weekend
we spent
having too much sex
pre-viagra
justifying all of it
i knew you were a liar, vagabond, and thief
what’s worse, a drummer, jesus
but i was raised poor
and
we were taught
never to waste
good meat
when i was in high school
a steak house in mount carmel
called
the red river cattle company
closed up shop
and much to the chagrin
of the local bible thumpers
became a strip joint called deja vu
the same place you got to eat free
if you could shove 80 ounces of steak down
your gullet
get your picture hung green on their wall of shame and everything
now specialized in a cheaper meat
spinning around in clear heels on a pole
oh the baptists and harper valley pta lot
were fuckin’ hot
all of clermont county’s husbands were coming home late for supper
so they started gunning for the place
until the titty bar was stripped
of its liquor license
but with no gin in the place
they could now go full frontal
and nobody seemed to mind they were drinking watery pepsi and staring at throbbing twat
i mean this place had it all
biker chic
a smoking monkey
even a girl with one arm
me and my girlfriend and her husband
stumbled in there drunk for a lap dance
on my 25th birthday
he was so worked up
as we were leaving
he hit a light pole in the parking lot
i heard today the place got bought
they’re gonna turn it into a megachurch
in keeping with the theme of sacrificial lambs
it’s funny because the devout
will still go there to buy a fantasy
palpable desperation no less thick
they’ll just be shoving their ones
into an offering plate
instead of some unfortunate woman’s thong
hey baby
how could someone
who says so much
know so little
but it’s okay
i’ll call your meat
cuz you pair well with my gravy
i hope you’re somewhere
learning how to heal
no, take my water
probably not much where you’re going
she doesn’t know
her heart is just another stop
somewhere passed three stations east
my passion is frozen
oval shaped and blue
in your ice box
i don’t regret hurting you
i do regret knowing you
you’re the reason why our kids are ugly
i don’t care for the ginsberg poem
i’m not hung up on living past forty
i enjoy a big piece of meat in all forms
i think all poetry should be free verse
vanilla should be outlawed
marijuana should be legal
rapists and pedophiles and corrupt bankers should be executed
incendiary is good
i don’t give a fuck about my cholesterol
the government should forget everything they’re doing and begin again
people should throw out their child’s video game system while they still have some semblance of a soul
put a book in your child’s hands so they read it and learn empathy
take a walk every day
own a dog
be marvelously kind even when you don’t feel like it
liquor is good
sex is good
shut up and listen regularly
.
.
i’m falling in love with you
.
.
reality tv should end
abortions should be free and considered an act of mercy
women should be paid equally
water should be cherished
insurance companies should be banished
men should not be bashed for having balls
national healthcare need be implemented
all weapons should be melted into a temple built to honor peace
dance to music daily
religion should be do it yourself