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IX
Picture
I WITNESSED THE SHAME OF GOD AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS T-SHIRT

​in the mood to fuck around and fade into obscurity,
descendant glissando underneath the clothesline, mouth as
slack-jawed
and guileless as the day i was born.
i am too exhausted to be proud anymore,
too low to not blame myself for my reputation,
too old to be playing spades and slapjack
with the rest of the stragglers vacationing in asphodel meadows
where the dead bury their dead
and whine about how they deserve a chateau in the clouds.
alright, i’ll wear sackcloth and ashes
i’ll atone i’ll saint veronica
i’ll spit up all the acid and mop it off the laminate.
i can't help it if my wants are the same color as my needs,
bleary cool magenta,
like stained-glass orchids that catch the sun.
dreamt my death mask was on fire again
my personal history is pornography
my tongue is curled in the shape of subterfuge
my vanity is plastic masochism filling up the hole where dignity should be.
                 got a rap sheet for french kissing the exhaust pipe
my decorum begins at starting the house fire and ends at keeping my elbows
off the table,
                                  girl as a car crash. girl as a lot of things:

bedlam in a tube top and $5 lip gloss
explosions on the TV screen
dishonor handcuffed to the bed
one day i will master artlessness. until then, i will antisepticize the void
and walk quietly down city streets. minimize the body, minimize
presence,
kneel at the mirror and watch the room graciously give light to the hall.
delicate thawing out of my heart
until the undertaker wakes up
and tells me to put my shoes on,

saying:

                  girl               i touch you           just to see you                   recoil
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  • HOME
  • WINTER 2022 ISSUE
  • SUBMISSIONS
    • Submission Form
  • ABOUT
  • LITTLE BLACK BOOK
    • A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS
  • SHOP