brief bliss
Again he found himself approaching her, almost pestering her to share a drink over conversation. Tonight she agreed casually, turning her gaze away with pretentious indifference. He ordered two whisky sours and tipped the bartender with a goofy grin, so eager to eat his cherry in her presence. He handed her the drink and she thanked him but spoke away from his ear, avoiding eye contact. Her lack of interest never ceased to intrigue him. I haven’t seen you in a while. You look good he said above the crowd. She nodded, continuing to acknowledge him as little as possible. He took another sip and tried desperately to think of the right thing to say, the right question to ask, the compliment she’d always been waiting to hear. Nothing came to mind. The familiar feeling of helplessness rattled his weak frame. He knew he was losing her… but tonight he had lady luck on his side. A disheveled man stumbled out of the bathroom behind them causing her to step back and make room for the momentarily classless individual. As the drunkard toppled forward she faced the once hopeless man of the hour and shot him a reactionary glance, out of instinct. Their eyes locked and as much as she had previously resisted, she found herself unable to now look away. His stomach boiled and his hands shook and for a short while she shared his infatuation. He didn’t want an explanation, he simply wanted the moment to continue… but it had to end.
five years
A cop knelt and kissed the feet of a priest while we drank milk shakes cold and long. All the fat, skinny people, and all the tall, short people pushed through the market square smiling and waving… I think I saw you in an ice cream parlor, you looked beautiful.
Five years is all we got, five years and my brains hurt a lot. The earth is dying we were told. We wept as mothers wept and fathers wept and soon enough all of our faces were wet. I never thought I’d see so many melodies with no room to spare.
I only felt like an actor when it rained.
"We wept as mothers wept and fathers wept and soon enough all of our faces were wet. I never thought I’d see so many melodies with no room to spare."
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