To feel the side of a cowboy boot on my hip
Was something quite unexpected, too
Caught up in lines and circles to notice before
But a stray cat was their owner!  

He looked at me with a pearly black eye and  
Bid me a due, nodding low into the  
Darkest part of this Adams apple, and here
I was thinking Felidae didn't have them!

As strange as it was, I paid him no mind
Carried by wavy guitars and longing fiddles
My hip sunk again, this time only with the
Sound of five hundred animals clapping along.  

I turn to my left, to look at my partner, but he’s  
seemingly replaced by a crowd of menagerie workers.
In the corner of my eye, a familiar smile,
I yell to the camel, “Why, You’re Not My Boyfriend!”

My mom got a bottle of Champane in the mail from her
Best friend from college. Friend just found out her husband
Of twenty-five years was ******* other people the entire
Time.  

My dad just gave me an AI generated list of ways to stay
Safe in Thailand from the monkeys. Who knew it was all
That serious? I do now, and will be sure to carry around
A stick.  

My grandmother gave me a check for Christmas, or should
I say she always gives me a check for Christmas. Neenee,  
All the things you give me: life, college, time, love, all the  
Things.  

My ex-boyfriend held my head under the covers of my  
Blue checkered bed and farted. It stunk super badly but
Made me feel loved the same way getting tickled does.
Annoying.  

My best friend’s sister got their grandmothers cat when
She died, so now my best friend has a child, literally. She  
Loves his eyes and carries him up the stairs into her own
Bed.  

My people and I give and discover the great mysteries  
Together all at different levels and times of understanding
And I get to grasp at the feeling of love with the people I  
Love (what a special thing).

to the right
                                                                                                  to the left
                                               a cha-cha slide
take it back now
                                                                                                           y'all

    then,

          Watch us suffer      a                                                                                 slow death                                                                   in the freezer

                                       iced and tight like a frozen treat
                                                    
                                                                                         humming our still

bodies to the rhythm.

Sweet summer fade away
Forgive my large hands for
Holding onto everything
I was not supposed to
The fruit was just so sweet

Not too sweet, I hope
Would have left in that case
Who knows with me and
The heat, I’ll tear it all open
Until there’s nothing left.

Except small, empty rooms
With used command strips
Littered across open spaces,
Some of the paint ripped
To reveal even smaller rooms

Memories are underneath
Truths that feel like lies
We all feel it, unfortunately
Wanting to be forgotten
Until there's nothing left.

I find it puzzling the generation of sidewalks that pass on the way to the grocery store.
Times when my tongue clicked at the passing trees and hot air
made me scream.
Katie always did her best, but her best against the summer  
beast was no great feat.  

Feet, on one hand, were not something I could stand the feeling of, with all their nerves and endings.
On the other hand, feet are not hands, nor am I holding one in my hand,  
for that matter, nor was I in the Volkswagen when the trees were waving by. Excellent
times to think back to.