In the Land of Misfortune, Vahsen is king; for everything else there's Mastercard.

The party's downstairs, but the whiskey's
in here so all isn't lost just yet--
besides, her scent's still on the sheets
on her side of the bed
and I'm wondering how long
I can keep it there for
while she's away at school.

One of the unnecessarily close
audience shots in the comedy special
we watched before she left tonight
showed an attractive young woman
laughing her pretty little heart out
and I felt bad for the poor bastards
who fell in love with her
alone at two in the morning via TV screen.
It's not always easy to find the drive
to make sure the bills are paid
the pets are fed
and the dishes are done
but it's nice to know
where mine will always come from, and
that's it's only a two-hour drive away, at worst.

August is the time that millions of girls go back
to college around the world, and as I'm in my room
sipping this first and last cocktail of the night
I can't help but wonder how many of those girls
are trying their hardest to blend the shorter lengths of hair
in with the rest, and how many lonely guys are hiding
those locks from their friends in their pillow cases.

I'd like to think a lot.




Currently reading:
"Selected Poems, 1945-2005" by Robert Creeley.