maybe part of why you fit so niceis you don’t make me feelemotionally claustrophobicwe’ve had these soft silencesfull of nonverbal truthsyou’ve gone monthswithout trying to read my diary most times i feelmy time my thoughts my feelingsare a public librarywith dozens of patronsmilling about & checking me outit gets exhaustingto keep so little for meContinue reading “this poem is brought to you by the somnam corporation”
Author Archives: mattress dungeon
alexa play john prine
i guess i should have guessedhow the light would catch your eyes& how quick how strongthe fever would set inseatbelts off in this reckless wreckburned alive in the chill windoff the lake where you wrapped me up& the room where you slapped me up& how i would feel so trappedat the loud ringing distancedon’t getContinue reading “alexa play john prine”
takeoff
shhh i love this partwhen we break throughthe cloud coverand see how far abovethe ground we really areyou won’t want to miss iti promiseif you get scared i willhold your handcome on babyit’s the kind of momentthat makes it all worthwhiledon’t close your eyesdon’t close your eyesdon’t close your eyes
i meant to wake up before this happened
but in the dream we just talkneither of us asks for anythingand we speak in low voicesgrow tired and stretch outcomfortably yawningin each other’s facescome here you say andhead fits on shoulder andarms wrap soft and firm andyou feel like a white oak andyour heartbeats are ocean wavesin the dream i am warm and sleepybutContinue reading “i meant to wake up before this happened”
if you swear to keep it decent then yeah
selling out wouldn’t even cover my gas billso i guess i’ll keep selling you insteadthe apathy of others is death by starvationand my back hurts too much to dance the limboi’ve got a bottle of pills for the painsure, go ahead, i’ll just keep the one lord willing and the river don’t risei will putContinue reading “if you swear to keep it decent then yeah”
i barely know ‘er
from my vantage point behind the desk i can see rib fragments and detached limbs and brain matter and dark bloody muscle stretched out mosaic on the concrete the stomach twists and writhes the heart hovers, moaning hummingbird i want to mash all the pieces together form them into something that’ll live but seeing howContinue reading “i barely know ‘er”
coffeebot2k20
woke up this morningto bruised legs,maniacal laughter on my tongue,and a saltshaker in my hand.oh lord but i did laugh.now,time to sprinkle the earth.
autopsy
i’ve been gone from splitsville longenough that i forgot the mapit’s not like i’m a touristi practically live heredriving up main street you can’t get aroundthe mortuarywhere lo we shall take a scalpeland dissect the liferight out of whatever remained cut right to the hearttime of death: 18 months agohow did we not seehow didContinue reading “autopsy”
i know all about queens
it’s not that i’m allergicto the stingsor even particularly mind(most of the time)but it invites clothing myself in canvasin leather and netting remember this the next time you beg meto take off my armorfor a distant promiseof mead i’ve yet to taste this isn’t an o. henry storyi’m shorn yes butyou never brought the combContinue reading “i know all about queens”
venomous progression
the snake coiled in my guthas the typical markingsof a Midwestern Heartbreakerfilthy isolation & yearningno appetite & poor sleepthe mind running over & overwords spoken & unspokenthe extra muscle it takesto pick up a pen & writethe same trite bullshitas everyone else who’s had a bite take me to a bankwith a robbery in progressi’llContinue reading “venomous progression”
mattress dungeon 