hooker

when i was 9
i was told the meaning
of the word
hooker

halloween was coming up
and i had heard
that these creatures
dressed like
madonna

i explained to mom
that i wanted my costume to be
heavy makeup
a black mini
and a bra

a hooker.

she
laughed.

a hooker
she said
is a woman who
sells her body
for money.
is that what
you want to be??

sells her body...

sells her body??

organ donation
came to mind
and,
confused
i settled on
being a
witch.

southern comfort

the comfort
rolls down
the throat
warm
and sweet
and loving
licking my insides
until i'm dancing
with the bottle
past midnight
past 2

night air
filling pockets
of my pores
sockets
of my eyes

wish i could hold onto
everyone i've ever known
just grab them up
and shove them down into
my pockets
and tell them

it's alright, babies
none of that matters
now
so turn off that
outside nonsense
and dance with me
until we sleep.

and when we sleep
just before
dawn
the dreams writhe
in blues and jazz
in deep red shades
of
mmmmmmm

and when i wake
i have one
massive
fucking
headache.