Precious as the love between a man

And either Betty or Veronica,

sweet as spending the night in a van

with a bottle of no-name Goldschlager.

Into the thicket the gnatcatchers go,

grey winged with the high pitched mating calls;

I take you to my parents’ bungalow

After three Big Macs at the East Side mall.

Sweet as toffee muffin without the muffin,

Gentle as a less howly howler monkey,

Soft as soft serve, cute as a postcard puffin

Brushing the hair of a howler monkey.

Mom’s on meth and Dad’s left for Vancouver,

So let’s skip school and love one another.

Originally published in White Wall Review 31 (2007)