Newly married at twenty-three
to my lovely, lonely first wife,
I filled my countless weekends
cutting up thick-barked deadfall,
hefting logs meant for two
into Jake's bonfire where we poured
motor oil drained from his Jeep
until the brawly flames reared
four stories tall and melted bottles.
I remember little after that until
the clock clipped three and
the bonfire stopped whistling
from its dwindling amber heart -
I had to excuse myself
into the soft-shadow trees,
missed my footing and fell
into a dark, bristling beak of lawn
that swallowed me whole
& as I lay there voices called me,
called me from car dome lights
that flickered on like wrong stars,
laughing that it was all over now,
the party was all over now:
just go home, just go home.
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 7:05 PM UTC
Newly married at twenty-three
to my lovely, lonely first wife,
I filled my countless weekends
cutting up thick-barked deadfall,
hefting logs meant for two
into Jake's bonfire where we poured
motor oil drained from his Jeep
until the brawly flames reared
four stories tall and melted bottles.
I remember little after that until
the clock clipped three and
the bonfire stopped whistling
from its dwindling amber heart -
I had to excuse myself
into the soft-shadow trees,
missed my footing and fell
into a dark, bristling beak of lawn
that swallowed me whole
& as I lay there voices called me,
called me from car dome lights
that flickered on like wrong stars,
laughing that it was all over now,
the party was all over now:
just go home, just go home.
