You’re not here.
You’re not going to be here.
I knew that coming in, really.
You’re not the kind of guy
a girl like me
would meet in a place like this.
You’re waiting
in some laundromat
or grocery store
or maybe a coffee shop,
although we both know
that’s a little pretentious.
“Tonight’s gonna be a good night,”
we chant in unison with the canned legumes –
but those words taste bitter in my mouth.
Hold on –
is that you hiding behind those emo bangs?
Nope, false alarm again.
Wait out the buzz amongst the masquerade –
silently begging sluggish metabolism to wake up.
Car keys rustle impatiently within a purse’s depths.
My better judgment begrudgingly takes the keys from others;
well-earned rest is delayed a few hours more
as I seek sober refuge scribbling verse in a bathroom stall.
May 1, 2010
Suggestions are welcome as always - it still feels pretty rough to me, but so did last night, haha.
I meant to comment earlier, but things get in the way. I like this poem; I like the idea of this poem; I like that this poem explains its occasion and its location (last line!) and that it searches without needing to find. Keep looking and sneaking away to jot down the seeker-poems too!
ReplyDeleteI. Adore. This. Poem.
ReplyDeleteI like the surprise of the explained location in the last stanza, also...I tend to be a sucker for breaking the 4th wall.
Haha, me too, Adrienne. It's very meta. ;) Glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteAnd WCP, that's precisely the advice I needed to hear. You really do seem to have a knack for that...