no law condemns the sovereign heart
nor pulls the puppet strings of love
left lonely, one man is only half
and Lawless is his middle name

soldiers of grace exalt her fate
love's empire undone
damaged hearts like near-dead stars
spit and spark and groan

spit is sweet add ripe revenge
mine is the honey-laden mouth
which drips with sweat of sword-ish tongue
and breathes the breath of lesser men

©Jason Cole

Who's she then?
Netanya asks
as I sat in the bar
of the local
beside her
at a window seat

who?
I ask her

that fancy bit
with the ****
sticking out a mile
who smiled at you

where?

there at the fruit machine
putting in
her ill-gotten gains
Netanya says
nodding in the direction
of the newly installed
fruit machine

I eye the woman
standing there
she smiled at me?

yes she ****** well did
didn't you see?

no I was looking
at the dart players
I say

dart players my ****
you were gazing at her
and all that
she flashes at you

I look away
from the woman
and stare at Netanya

never seen her
before in my life
I say

she stares
back at me
her eyes boiling blue

if you're going
to accuse me
all night about women
who may or not
smile at me
then I'm going
I say
taking a sip
of my beer

she pouts her lip
then sips her cocktail
with the cherry
on a stick

every time I go out
with you
you think women
are making eyes at me
or that I'm having
an affair with
one of them
I say

don't come to me
tonight for the ***
because there won't
be any
she says

very encouraging
I say
lighting up
a cigarette

she smiled at you
Netanya says
I saw her
with my own eyes
it was that
come to bed eyes
look and smile

I'm not familiar
I say
maybe you are

she slams her glass
on the small table
and her cocktail
cherry stick
jumps out
AND WHAT'S THAT
SUPPOSED TO MEAN?
she says loudly

people stare at us
from around the bar

I sip my beer
and take a drag
on the cigarette
and stare at the floor
if the hat fits
I say

she picks up
the cherry
and ***** it
off the stick

she sighs
then sips her drink
where we going
after this?
she says
leaning into me
and damaging me
with a sticky kiss.

repeat yourself over and over
wield words as your weapon
repeat it as many times you need
until you drown beneath
your own perception

Tell the boy you fell in love with that you don't appreciate his lust, tell the girl your dreaming of that she's the only one you think of

Shout out to the universe
that you're unimpressed
Scream in the face of the world
that you deserve only the best

Get into the face of the *****,
or the *******,
that hurt you the most
and insist you are worth
the air you breathe, make sure
*you're extremely verbose