it's an undeniable pull, you know
the gravity in my world feels heavier than others.
i spread my roots outward.
never upward.
vertical mobility is a myth
where i'm from. you start

the same place you finish;
mind-numbing ****** jokes.
go to the bar down the road.
order your bottle with a glass on the side.
fear the unimaginable, but somehow
let your experiences inform your imagination.
pour your bottle, play your song from the
“vintage” jukebox filled with Usher’s singles.
smile and wave. return to monotony.

drowning on
the shallow end
of the pool
dodges laughter by
a single fiber of moral decency.
even the most cruel characters of the story
know how to act decent. it's human.
but falling into the cyclical
****** of an unhinged routine
is unnatural? i guess so.