Damn

keeps

the lie keeps
close to the chest
warm and wet
unrealized
in its simplicity
the complicities
of the implications
have no place
interwoven between
hand on hand on
skin on bone
on lie
close to the chest

'tween

‘tween
book pages
and cold smooth stones
and nevermores
and mores again
she falters
if just briefly
sun flickering out
behind the stained glass
and once this was
and twice this goes
and three for the money
and blinks back on
neon crowned cross
because that’s how we roll
tithe
bleed
ingest
go

Stickers

Stefanie started sticking stickers.
She started in Steubenville
and stuck to it till Strasenburgh
—where she stopped briefly for strudel—
but started sticking stuff again
with a stupefying amount of stickers.
Her stick-to-itiveness was quite stupendous.
Standing by, students were struck,
even stirred, as she strode and stuck
on steps and on Studebakers,
on stirrups and on street signs,
on sticks and on stenographers,
on steam trunks and on sturgeons,
on straps and on strobe lights,
on stencils and on starlets’ staffers,
on stilts and on startled state troopers,
Stefanie strove forward,
sticking her stickers on whole stacks of stuff,
until, strength gone, she stuttered, “This is stupid,”
and stopped.

The Logic of Decision Making

Given
1) This will feel good
2) This will hurt me
3) This will lead to effect 1B/positive
4) This will adversely hinder otherwise folks than me
5) This is, in effect, the same as (6)
6) This is, in effect, the same as (5)
Then
One coin
78 cards
Two distinct lifelines
Three shoes (unrelated)
And one jalapeño burning on Mrs. Argawal’s stove
Result
That’s how it goes