x-posted.

Ibyang Muñeca

They called her “Ibyang Muñeca,”

“China Doll from the Midway"

and like a thousand other monikers

she’d answer to

drunk with friends that she adopted,

made a family out of strangers--

knew her core but like two of them knew her name.

Tough lover and a Turf Club regular,

slammed every door decisively--

some function of her nature--

and danced out loud to car alarms,

bathed in sweat or rain

twisted fluently, twisted fluency

when gawkers gawked--

“out-of-town-tourist-trash,” she’s sing.

Loved it when people asked her

“where you from?”

told them “like a million different places,

depending on the day--

wouldn’t recommend Wyoming

but you knew that already.”

Flew her independent nation flag

without it being stupid bangs,

esoteric ink, piercings, or pulled together poetry--

told me I was dumb to look for meaning in her laugh lines.

weekly post 1

Untitled

The humid minnesota summer days are nothing
compared to the fog in my mind from the nights
i stayed up late talking with you
the wet air pressing in on me tightens
the knots my thoughts have been tied up in

with thoughts tied and tongue loose
i have spoken a steady stream of mixed emotions
confusing to us both, lying to us
both without knowing until i sit down
to review our predawn episodes like a movie

it is then that i can see that the character i play
doesn't follow his script but improvises scenes
that have been loosely played out by others
for whatever audience will listen
and you, without any script, have all your lines ready

unfinished

Inflamed Appendix

Confrontations: A Release Reading

Join Skull and Poems Press at the Acadia Cafe on July 14th for the release of their first full group anthology--Confrontations. Featuring music from Kasey McKee and The Prizefighters, your toes will be tappin' all night and the readings from Skull and Poems Literary Society members will rock the socks right off those tappin' toes. Join us at 7:30 for drinks, poems and music. It's not to be missed.