thoughts all sing-songy like
No one knows where I am right now
I test a swelling sense of
invincibility
stroll in the wrong direction with
my dress trailing mid-air
all the bars letting out
& some bodies so close I'm convinced
they pa** right through me
every jolt of pleasure
attuned at once:
strung-up lights blurred & blinking
mouths holding silent O's
chilled air by the gulpful,
a shock to the system
senses sharper
& a harvest-bright moon
the clock tower chimes an alarm
for those tensed & ready to walk
the high-wire between
ardor & fury
13th street starlets
fan their lashes curbside, holler
Get it, honey
which I take to mean
quit sleeping easy
& shimmy down a backstreet
to slip off last year's
sweetness & reserve
The wanting itself
suddenly enough.