Mikitara

Mikitara Jun 2013

11 am on a hot, sultry day
on this side of the Mississippi
means lemonade in the shade of the front porch

noon on a hot, sultry day
on this side of the Mississippi
means sweet tea and a simple lunch

1950
11 am on a hot, sultry day
on this side of the Mississippi
means blatant racism
and lemonade in the shade of the front porch

2013
noon on a hot, sultry day
on this side of the Mississippi
means secret racism
and sweet tea and a simple lunch

nothing really changed

Mikitara Jun 2013

Platonic

I cried when you kissed me
Because it was a platonic kiss

I broke when you pressed me into the mattress
Because it was a platonic oppression

I died when I woke up beside you
Because it was a platonic love

Mikitara Jun 2013

Untitled 4

you downed the pills
to ease the pain

your hope died
before your fame

I'm the last
to wheeze your name

Mikitara Jun 2013

Barely Forever

A boy I barely knew
Bit my lip
and ran his tongue against mine
It tasted like metal
and Pepsodent
and sour formula

Because he had a tongue ring
and that was his favorite toothpaste
and his baby son was born 3 months ago
and I knew this because
I'd barely known him
forever

Mikitara Jun 2013

Untitled 3

the love bites I left
on your pale neck
didn't turn to bruise
as they should've
instead sharp crystal stars
split their way out
of your skin
and you said it hurt
when I tried to pull them out
and it hurt me too
to see you in pain
from something I caused

Mikitara Jun 2013

Albert

he stood at the lip of the chasm
and took his own life
because the guilt was killing him anyway
he wasn't afraid
but he wasn't courageous

Mikitara Jun 2013

Empty Bathtub

you sit in the empty bathtub
you're naked,
your hair is wet,
and your stomach is roiling
because your demons are
killing you
from the inside out
and you remember:
you're alone
you need more hair dye
and you can't drown
in an empty tub