Poem of the Day 11.13.08

will be appearing soon in Ink, Sweat, and Tears

world’s perfect asshole

you come in from
running errands
you said that dale called
you on the cell phone
he’s wandering manhattan
he’s upset and feeling overwhelmed
so you invited him over
to watch movies on our last day off.

you come in from
running errands
and i am in my shorts
with weak knees and a week-old beard
sweat-soaked in forty-eight degrees
all the windows open
and the place a mess
with cds and dirt all over the floor.

you come in from
running errands
and i tell you like hell
i’m entertaining anyone today
i tell you like hell
and i’m half-drunk on wine
and my soul is a mess and everyone
out there just looks ugly to me.

you come
and tell me that this is your place too
and you can socialize with whomever you want
like i’m some kind of barbaric keeper
i tell you that while this is true
the place is mine as well
and we bicker like a couple of roommates
over the last slice of bread.

you come in from
running errands
you come at me and i come at you
the two of us like freight trains
on the same track, it’s so damned scary
that i wait for the impact
you come at me and apologize
i come at you, and throw you out.

you come in from dale and the bar
you come to me on the couch
where i have been drinking wine
for three hours alone
and watching television
you come to me, i’m the world’s perfect asshole
and we just know enough at this point
to let it all pass until i’m myself again.