roseanna marie

i found you puttering in the dark back yard at a reunion of surfaces and smiles
joking nervously as you skillfully ignored me, eyes never meeting mine
i asked you if you would despite your little gold ring
and you gave the same answer you gave on all saints day
do you recall that day, darling, when you told me what i could do

well
you weren’t the only one

but you were the only one

frolicking in the desert sand, laughing
dancing drunkenly around the brown van and matching station wagon
children with our adult toys, dodging each other just to play at getting along

i rolled another joint and hit out on the highway
a snow-streaked mountain rose from the flat sand and the joint wasn’t getting me high

not like they used to get me high so high
a cold rain fell and i stood outside the gym
i smoked a joint but it didn’t seem to get me high

all the children waited inside
i opened the door and told them the grass is no good

i awoke thinking, it’s still early in the day
i should get out to the desert in a hurry so i’ll have all day to be high

(Copyright 2023 by Tetman Callis.)

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