A THE BEAUT Becca Klaver

Here we go again, A—

time to lace your bonnet, buckle your galoshes,
glide with me headlong down the Slip ‘n Slide—

A, I sewed up the hole in my stretchy teal skirt just for you

I needle-pricked my finger just for you ess ay

& we became bros.
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Hand me the mic.  I’d like a word with the rallying forces.

Read book Oprah toldja?

Check.

Can they sell that on eBay for you?

Double-check.

Seen kid-wishes pinned to balloon bouquets
drifting into the lighthouse’s gaze over the lake in the fog?

Check again.
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.
.

In spite of my eyes on the sidewalk
avoiding yours
in spite of small towns avoided
in spite of large swaths of town skirted

we are nightly flying door to door
(as a fridge door glows, as an engine stalls)

This city’s not just a play your mind puts on while you  sleep