CHANDELIER HANGS IN THE SHAPE OF AN OCTOPUS

We brought flowers to his mother
But flowers won’t // Answer her texts
Or feed the dog chained to a spike
In the yellow yard
 

b          a          r           k          i           n          g
 

This is her house // She begged the wind to hold her
Reporters said the killing was justified
But we thought // Nobody should be killed by police
So we wrote it // On a banner
By the encampment
 

His mother // Buried her child // Let her rest
We wanted to tell her
The dead can’t be good or bad // Only dead
But we were shy to speak
 

His mother was shattered &
Lighting candles at the vigil
Does lightning twitch as we do
Every time we lose
 

Dear police
Trust means I give you the gun
You don’t shoot
It’s not something you deserve
To be trusted

ORGIES FOR THE ELDERLY

Swayed by the worl                d’s ugliest models // & Finally
Enjoying the mediocrity of o             urselves // We sold art for aristocracy & some
Days we were so desperate for touch // Breastfeeding mothers made us jealous
Should be more ashamed // W                   e know // We looked
Our anus in the ugly // & It was lo                 oking back at us // How
We shifted from desire to desire // Unt        il there was no more wanting
Ghastly scared of being st              uck like a // Blowfish in plastic rings
Do you know how to sc                 are an octopus // Ask about its future
Memory swam by // A          silver shark we didn’t want to touch
We took out the trash // We took out ourselves
We got arthritis while jerking him off // Our dentures
Dropped on his pubes // & We drooled like a little dog
We came with our walker & a mountain of viagra // Then
Sucked until the slow celestial release // While
Zapatistas sang their himnos in Chiapas // We got
Life advice from pregnant teens // Only salt for                    sugar daddies
Thursdays we knelt like a horse braiding it              s hair in the cyprus tree // Horses
Are unicorns that lost the war //                               Always next up in the poverty line
We watched our culture se                        ll on the stock exchange // Becoming
Recycled TV memo                        ries // Each cloud dreamt of solid form
To forever love gay               collage boys
To forever pray benea            th the pope’s glitter thong

YUMMM // SCABIES FOR BREAKFAST

Instantaneous
Pleasure takes too // Long
Butch dyke barbie
Our cheap plastic cunt
Pornographic & polyamorous
While raccoons licked our pussy
We begged // Yearned // Yes voyeurs // No condoms
Cum in us // Videotape us // Duct tape us
Call your friends faggot // Double penetrate us
Help release our serotonin // Grand canyon where our anus should be
We spoke feeling yellow // We woke feeling extraterrestrial
Feeling too much // Like yolk we broke
We looked to ourselves // In the mirror // In the morning
Our mouth tastes // Of his or his
Spit & cigarettes // Coffee burning // Thot
Where’s our underwear // Fuck it // Keep it // Don’t text us
The toothpaste specks on the mirror looked // Like melting moons &
We nervous our bruises // A reminder of Dad

Photograph © runran