These days gravity seems to pull from left to right
In fact the birds ran out of branches and built their nest on a telephone wire.
I invent danger where there isn’t any and ignore it when it’s staring
Me in the face or holding me in its arms.
Now I’m all dressed up in my mom’s clothes
Crossing Elizabeth Street
Photographing leftist graffiti
And trying to determine whether I’m a mean girl
Who pretends to be nice or a nice girl
Who pretends to be mean.
…
I’m not dressed for the weather but who dresses
For the weather? Not even the weather
Dresses for the weather.
Besides, this is the kind of comfortable cold that I
Can settle into.
Now I’m imagining what it will be like when I say
No I don’t want to go back to your room let’s stay
Out here where the dark is as deep as we want it to be
Where I’ll have to rest a hand on your cheek to tell if you
Are blushing where the flavor of Sunday is as
Ubiquitous as the stars are and as piquant as your
Anecdotes. Where we’ll stumble across the street
Intoxicated with whatever’s funny.
You’ll insist but I’ll resist and you’ll remember you
Have a paper due
And I’ll remind myself gently that you were a dress
Rehearsal.
