brick & sailor

i'll have another slice
of pizza
because as long as
i've got this awesome pot belly
no one will notice
the bump in my nose

it's hard
to send postcards home
when i'm already here

my mom
believes everything the news tells her
thinks the cleaning lady was eyeing her
is insulted by my dinosaur drawings
makes friends with the people
who have become shells
but not quite
and i hope
this is the only thing
i've inherited

i get giddy
in awkward moments
like discovering
your dog has stolen
and shredded
your anal beads

i love catching him
his eyes bright
fairies still in his eyes from sleep
watching me
thankful
he sometimes blushes
in his sleep

i want to order a cheeseburger
eat it in the front seat of my car
wrapper peeled back
folded like classy restaurant linen
sit back from the window
so no one can guess
this is where i sleep

i sometimes imagine
they pick their litter
torn pages
out of dust devils and whetted gutters
and cram them into their ears
without notice
until they are so stuffed
lobes engorged with filth
until the songs become forgotten
and they resort to barking

i turn my head
and pretend i'm distracted
that i'm elsewhere
but i'm always home with you

thank you
for being
the perfect reminder

sometimes
my fists catch the sheets
and i shake hard
and hear you breathing
in my ears again