April 23.
My birthday is tomorrow;
I took off work to celebrate.
My boyfriend and I are going to get lunch.
“Administrative Professionals’ Day” is today.
My coworkers get a cookie text
From my manager—
That’s an 8x8 square of cookie
Topped with saccharine frosting
And edible paper.
The printer jams.
Someone heats up fish for lunch.
Time drags on.
On my way home,
I pass by the cemetery.
A woman sits at the edge of the garden
Where her baby is buried.
She adjusts the Easter decorations she set out last week.
Pastel-colored eggs, a small rabbit.
Near her, his younger brother wanders about
Picking dandelions and
Hopping over graves and
Waving to passing cars.
The child touches his mom’s shoulder
And points out a bird.
They look at it together,
Then get in the car.
Time passes by.
Tonight, I think I’ll make pasta for dinner.
There’s half a jar of red sauce in the fridge
Perfect for one meal.
There won’t be any leftovers,
But that’s fine.
After, I sit at my computer.
My friends are around to play games tonight,
So I nurse a *** and Coke
And hunt ghosts
Until my eyelids grow heavy.
Time flies.
Finally beneath cool sheets,
I reflect on today—
April 23.
My birthday is tomorrow;
I took off work to celebrate.
My boyfriend and I are going to get lunch.
May 16, 2024
May 16, 2024 at 9:05 PM UTC
Drunk at IKEA.
Is "björkåsen" a table,
or me throwing up?
Jan 13, 2024
Jan 13, 2024 at 12:38 AM UTC
i see him off.
i shut the door.
i climb back into bed.
toes in lasting body heat.
covers on my head.
bleary eyes on yellowed screen til
warmth's faded away.
i check the time
and heave a sigh.
it's time to start the day.
Dec 7, 2023
Dec 7, 2023 at 9:43 AM UTC
one letter stands out.
my finger moves to match it.
A. A. A. A. A.
i notice, then i forget.
it stops on its own.
sometimes ideas flow through me,
like smooth curves.
S. S. S. S. S.
unfortunately, it seems
i prefer corners.
these days my thoughts tend
to rest on cut, dry nail beds.
Z. Z. Z. Z. Z.
on vowels and consonants.
on warm, bare skin.
Dec 6, 2023
Dec 6, 2023 at 5:04 PM UTC
i just met a girl on the floor
of a stall when i opened the door.
she cried, "he's a punk!"
then threw up, clearly drunk.
... i don't have to go anymore.
Aug 31, 2023
Aug 31, 2023 at 10:57 PM UTC
i saw a cockroach
at Olive Garden tonight.
... one more basket, please.
Aug 30, 2023
Aug 30, 2023 at 10:07 PM UTC
so many people
have written about the heart.
why not about feet?
Aug 29, 2023
Aug 29, 2023 at 10:11 PM UTC
How can I
With pencil and pen
Capture the words
That float in my head?
They flutter like curtains
In way of the breeze
They glide upon air
Light as small, falling leaves
They tickle my spine
Like a long, thin grey finger
Sliding down
Down
Down
Down until finally they linger
At the base of my tailbone
Nail pressing to skin,
I can feel the letters, razor sharp, digging in
They make home in the dip
Between my tailbone and back
They sink in my pores
Leaving murmurs and snack
On the fat
In my hips and my thighs
But leave just enough so
I hate my pants size.
It's so hard,
So
****
Hard
To gather my thoughts
For just long enough
That I'm able to jot
Them down quick in a notebook or two, perhaps three...
Four....
Five.....
Six, seven-- It's endless how many
Pages I'd use to ***** the imagery from my dry swollen lips,
To release the simile like ice from my fingertips,
To expunge the diction adhered to my lungs,
To purge the exclamation stapled to my tongue.
Sticky adjectives extend from my limbs,
My fingers are pews where small men sing dark hymns
My body's a temple, my mind's full of shelves,
The walls are all rotting--
I'm caving in on myself.
How can I
With pencil and pen
Still survive
When the words
Have taken over my head?
Oct 15, 2017
Oct 15, 2017 at 4:47 PM UTC