High Tide
Your words were missives in the sand
which couldn’t stand up to
the pull of water or time
temporary
just like your presence in my life
Fat Bottom Girl Said What
When my ass talks, people listen.
Fat Tuesday
#FatTuesday
Ash Wednesday
was merely you stamping out your cigarette
and me standing there watching
as the last of the smoke escaped your lips
unable to give you up
for any sort of ridiculous religious conviction
atheist or otherwise
my sins paled in comparison to yours
and left me feeling pious and righteous
never worried about whose left hand I would be sitting at
when all was said and done
the food and the fucking both taste so much better
when someone tells you you can’t have them
so pour your communion wine into the dip of my shoulder
my belly button
and drink of life’s blood
drown out the trumpet sounds drifting through the windows
and toss aside all the beads
our Mardi Gras will never end
The Old Neighborhood
my heart is the
neighborhood tavern
the diner down the street
dingy but inviting
unpretentious
there for as long as you can remember
the booths with cracked vinyl
the formica tabletops worn from resting forearms and elbows
the stool at the end of the bar
where the wood is polished from years of wear and marked by cigarette burns
but you are only interested in
the new tapas place down the street
which will be closed before the year is up
Queues
They always love something more than you
alcohol
drugs
other women
the game
So you go to the back of the line
and wait
hoping some day it will be your turn
to come first
But time passes
and the queue never gets any shorter
and you can no longer believe the lies people tell you
that your time is coming
that you should stop looking because he’ll find you
that some man is really going to appreciate you
And hope
which was once a steadfast companion
abandons you on the side of the road
Black Void
You never get points
for being
the one who’s there
because they always want the one
who’s gone
the one who left them heartbroken
alone
the one who didn’t know
loyalty
or love
the one whose hair is longer
who’s prettier than you
thinner
the one who
manufactured lies
into realities
and left them empty
Gyroscope
I would go to the ends of the earth for you
but if I fell off the face of it
it would take days for you to notice
but it’s okay
because I often forget myself
become disconnected
from the strings of the puppet master
who makes my arms lift
head nod
knees bend
always lost among the scenery
blending into the bland backdrop
a bit player
in what you believe to be your masterpiece
which was written on the insides of empty cigarette packs
and cereal boxes
because you were to lazy to fetch a piece of paper
and you thought it would make a better story
to write it on recycling
because it’s what you’ve always done
told the same lies over and over again
retelling a truth which never existed
and leaving me
to wander the globe
without knowing which way is up
because you broke my internal compass
Winter Visitors
Frost lies heavy on the ground
sparkling like diamonds
jewels bestowed upon me by Jack Frost
he’s the only man who comes to visit
besides Father Time
Love Dormancy
Always rough around the edges
hardened by life
still seeking asylum in strong arms
where she can be soft
she allows him in
only to be burned again
wondering what she did wrong
always feeling like she’s paying the piper
for unknown tunes
she doesn’t remember dancing to
her heart now buried so deep
no sunlight will reach it
to entice even a bud of love
Victory Red
Kiss me
like I want to be
need to be
kissed
like it’s January 1942
and we don’t know
if we’ll ever have another kiss
my Victory Red lipstick
staining your lips
the wool of your uniform
scratching my powdered cheek
our words
declarations of love
promises of letters
hanging in the cold air
as you board the train
Wishbone
my exterior is tough
weathered
marked by battle scars
as is the heart which beats within my chest
but my bones
are those of the robin
who arrives to signal spring
hollow
airy
easily crushed under foot
you broke my wish bone
with your dishonesty
and now I cannot fly
what good is a bird
who is grounded
Fat Bottom Girl Said What 