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dig your own grave and save

by Gabriel Ricard

The groom had a bad cough. A really bad cough.
And these eyes that wanted to dress up
as a runaway train.

The bride had buried all of ‘em. Every last doctor
who had ever brought her flowers for every day
they ever loved her for her dangerous temper.

She had to be older than him by fifty,
sixty years. And the wedding reception looked lovely
to me. But I wasn’t driving a car. I wasn’t walking calmly
to the time and place that could have turned out to be
my last night on earth. So I didn’t give a damn
if their wedding made it impossible to drive down Main Street.

I probably could have saved that guy.
This was clearly something he didn’t want to be a part of.

Kept walking instead. I only knew one of the bridesmaids intimately.
I didn’t like the look of those angels with sniper rifles overhead.
Those wings would kill a whole lot of people, if they just decided
to come down the level of mere mortals.

Guess that old lady could call in favors.
The way ordinary people call out the name of the last person
in the history of their lives that would ever rush to be by their bedside.

And I just didn’t want to get involved. I’m still not cautious.
Don’t accuse me of finally playing it safe. Please, please, don’t.

It’s just that I don’t need any more friends.
Not that kind. I’d prefer it if the psychopaths, contract killers
from the class of 2003, and girls who think it’s cute to call themselves
Bang-Shift Betty, all came to me instead.

I don’t have a problem with the people I can love forever,
and only trust three nights out of ten.

I’m just not going out of my way to entertain them anymore.



12/08/2012

Author's Note: Many thanks to the lovely Ava Blu for reminding me to credit this title from a "Simpsons" quote.

Posted on 12/08/2012
Copyright © 2024 Gabriel Ricard

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Charlie Morgan on 12/08/12 at 07:53 PM

...dawn is right, you can get a chortle from this if the snipers don't get you...love it.

Posted by George Hoerner on 12/08/12 at 11:54 PM

I all ready started digging Gabe but it won't be as deep as this story. The ground is already starting to freeze.

Posted by Ava Blu on 12/09/12 at 04:28 PM

Considering you can quote many lines from The Simpsons, I'm surprised you did not give them credit for your title.

Posted by Nadia Gilbert Kent on 12/12/12 at 11:02 PM

*like*

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