Lauren O'Donnell
a mid//western man
perhaps it is god’s will:
I will abandon you on route 149
as we discover that nothing got us higher than
eating food.
the smothering slather of apple butter and
the sickening humidity of this chapter and
that mammalian retraction of paw of dew claw as
molly saunters away swinging her back legs you remark that dog butts look like faces just like the lights of a car
you ever wonder about those billboards that preach repentance
you ever notice that the bigoted are the ones that teach acceptance
and we tried to find the sweetest tea
in every town in every state
in every eastern deciduous mixed forest that is the american southeast
we saw it all--
the boll weevils in your cereal
and the bold evil stone mountain atlanta georgia.
he and I,
we did it all for a breeze yet only the buzzard will truly see the sea.
things were better then, they told me
as I drove through montgomery alabama
a movie ticket and a bucket of popcorn only cost a nickel.
I gave the cashier a couple bucks for my sweet tea refill and told her to keep the change:
don’t spend it all in one place
ha ha ha.
carnegie’s allegheny city machinery, an allegory of illusory triadic allegations:
I let everyone know
who’s related to me by blood, by womb, by the “for real” family, my real dad, my half-real sister,
my not-real west virginian illiterate grandfather
I will abandon you on route 149
as we discover that nothing got us higher than
eating food.
the smothering slather of apple butter and
the sickening humidity of this chapter and
that mammalian retraction of paw of dew claw as
molly saunters away swinging her back legs you remark that dog butts look like faces just like the lights of a car
you ever wonder about those billboards that preach repentance
you ever notice that the bigoted are the ones that teach acceptance
and we tried to find the sweetest tea
in every town in every state
in every eastern deciduous mixed forest that is the american southeast
we saw it all--
the boll weevils in your cereal
and the bold evil stone mountain atlanta georgia.
he and I,
we did it all for a breeze yet only the buzzard will truly see the sea.
things were better then, they told me
as I drove through montgomery alabama
a movie ticket and a bucket of popcorn only cost a nickel.
I gave the cashier a couple bucks for my sweet tea refill and told her to keep the change:
don’t spend it all in one place
ha ha ha.
carnegie’s allegheny city machinery, an allegory of illusory triadic allegations:
I let everyone know
who’s related to me by blood, by womb, by the “for real” family, my real dad, my half-real sister,
my not-real west virginian illiterate grandfather
to feel it so much as a boy
if you want your cock to stay in its place all day you gotta wear the right boxer briefs
if you want your cock to stay in its place all day you gotta wear the right boxer briefs
we reached the eastern sea, bored
it is almost as if the midwest is everywhere if it is in me:
I want to visit every mall of america. I want to cry in front of every Auntie Anne’s.
I want to get my ears pierced in every Claire’s. I want to spit in every wishing well.
I want to get high at every break in every break room with every slave of gratuity.
I want everybody to judge // I want to commit suicide one day.
When you are amid midwestern men, you start to become one. It’s not your fault.
It’s probably not theirs, either.
it is almost as if the midwest is everywhere if it is in me:
I want to visit every mall of america. I want to cry in front of every Auntie Anne’s.
I want to get my ears pierced in every Claire’s. I want to spit in every wishing well.
I want to get high at every break in every break room with every slave of gratuity.
I want everybody to judge // I want to commit suicide one day.
When you are amid midwestern men, you start to become one. It’s not your fault.
It’s probably not theirs, either.