I woke up in a cold sweat
And instead of calling the EMS
scrunched my eyes shut like a
polaroid aperture lid crusted in gound
and comet dust shot a phantom
portrait my Hello Kitty pajama bottoms
won’t peel off clammy clotted cohabitant
I would christen my body a living corpse but
I’m struggling to remember I struggle
with anatomy all molted skin
sans craters sans crow's-feet lines sans
crescent moon smiles we plucked
Straight from cheshire cat mouths how
blessed am i to be the artifact how
blessed am i to prod and poke
bedsheets till craters fit both our palms how
blessed am i to be the last testament to
thimble fingers and Mickey Mouse vans
And neon incense and timely Nirvana t-shirts
nicotine that is to say none of the above
Mama would kill us if we came home
This late spoil my appetite for one night carnal i approach
commitment like a half-finished poem
with a two-foot long butcher knife
draw and quarter the parts that need to tenderize and
set aside the ones that fall clean off the bone all kosher
I know it’s unorthodox to talk to imaginary friends
after the first date but I need you to stomach my raw
my unsavory my spoiled swerve
shotgun in the convertible you can’t afford
And i never got a driver’s permit pretend
love letters are a eulogy.