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first of the month classes

by Gabriel Ricard

Stay out uncomfortably late five nights
in the week instead of ten. Don’t weep
for the music you don’t understand.
Don’t believe anything whispered to you
by a fresh face on the first of ten long escalators
heading straight up. Out and under
ten more escalators heading straight up
to somewhere that’s supposedly even better.

Do not,
repeat,
let your ears bleed until it makes sense
to uncomfortable extremes,
do not,
repeat,
juggle three Tin Men hearts for the rainy day
coming at you from the left side of a very bad town,
do not go it alone if you can’t tell the difference
between Christmas and next Monday.

Unless they fall on the same day,
but when was the last time
any of us were even remotely that lucky?

I’ve got religion, baby,
see you at noon.
I’ve got the faith, darling,
some of those bridesmaid dresses leave bruises in strange locations.

I’ve got your best interests in mind.
Not mine though. That would just be silly,
and it hurts to smile, save myself and love you
all at the same time.

It hurts to walk all the way to your hotel room.
Aware the whole time that the cops might find me
and give me notes on what I did to the hood of their car.

Pain is not weakness leaving the body.
Nor is it fear, anger or addiction to criminal behavior.

Pain simply prefers to clear the way for more pain.
Some people handle it by cleaning all the drugs
out of their car. And waiting to discovered freezing
and praying for peace in a tent in some godforsaken wilderness.

Some shoulder the burden by having children
and filling their basement with guns and cans of tuna.

I learned how to snap my fingers,
finished two novels,
stopped calling her
and even picked up a couple of reasons
why I only make people happy
five nights out of ten.

Or is it eleven? I forget.
I guess I’m just too busy keeping up
with the business of this long day.

My life brings plenty of chaos to my front door.
I don’t need any more surprises on Saturday night.

02/20/2012

Posted on 02/20/2012
Copyright © 2024 Gabriel Ricard

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by A. Paige White on 02/23/12 at 06:33 PM

"do not go it alone if you can’t tell the difference between Christmas and next Monday" really grabbed my attention and "cops might find me and give me notes on what I did to the hood of their car" gave me the giggles for sure. Good friend of mine - (I have so many children!!!)- blew a cop's mind yesterday by tapping on his window for attention then asked him if there was a warrant issued for her arrest on a murder charge. I just wish I'd have seen his face. Bet he didn't know whether to take it as a joke or pull his gun. Anyway, I really enjoyed this!

Posted by Laura Doom on 02/26/12 at 12:14 PM

Pain is addictive; who needs drugs anyway? Then again, this is where I collect my prescription for analgesics...

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